


Your "I'm sorry" Doesn't Compare to Your "Fuck you"

by nakkacchii



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Aomine Daiki - Freeform, Cheating, Childhood Friends, F/M, Kagami Taiga - Freeform, Love Triangles, Momoi Satsuki - Freeform, Multi, Self-Insert, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-09-25 01:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 45,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9796490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakkacchii/pseuds/nakkacchii
Summary: You tried to turn away from Kagami as he attempted to hold your face. Even when you shook your head and dodged him, his hands still cupped your face, making you look into his eyes. Kagami tried for the words.He tried for any. I love you. Please don’t leave me. Let me explain.“I swear it was an accident,” Kagami managed to say. His throat was thinning, barely any air could get through. If you two weren’t close, you couldn’t really hear him.But that wasn’t enough. That answer wasn’t enough. How dare Kagami cry. Why is he crying when he betrayed you?





	1. Shattered Glass

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is a multichaptered fic I had originally started on my tumblr, but have no decided to put it into my Ao3 works <3 I hope you enjoy!
> 
> [sportanimefantasies.tumblr.com](https://sportanimefantasies.tumblr.com)

“Wait, ____, please wait!”

But you didn’t want to give Kagami the sanctification of you staying. Wait for what? To hear how he got those kissed bruises on his neck and chest? All you wanted was out of the house.

“____, please just-”

“Let go of me!” you cried, shaking your wrist our of Kagami’s hold. He flinched to see your eyes filled with hate and tears. The bruises on his neck suddenly felt more like venom than bites. Especially when you stared at them, but it didn’t last long when you turned to leave. “Don’t follow me.”

Kagami ran in front of you, blocking the front door. He was desperate, you could see that. But your heart. Your heart was in so much pain. You could feel it pulling apart, the bleeding was there. It hurt so much.

“Please, move, Taiga. I… I can’t even look at you,” you cried silently. You just wanted out. How could you look at Kagami when his skin was tainted by lips that weren’t yours?

You tried to turn away from Kagami as he attempted to hold your face. Even when you shook your head and dodged him, his hands still cupped your face, making you look into his eyes. Kagami tried for the words. He tried for any. I love you. Please don’t leave me. Let me explain.

“I swear it was an accident,” Kagami managed to say. His throat was thinning, barely any air could get through. If you two weren’t close, you couldn’t really hear him.

But that wasn’t enough. That answer wasn’t enough. How dare Kagami cry. Why is he crying when he betrayed you?

“It was an accident. Really?” you seethed. “Letting another woman kiss you is an accident?”

You shook your head out of Kagami’s grasp and walked the other way. Kagami watched you pacing the room, confused. He didn’t know what to do, or let alone say. All he knew was he wanted to fix this, he wanted you to stay. “____?”

Just hearing his voice made your fingers go on fire. You looked at the picture of you two on the beach, smiling and Kagami holding you from behind, and you launched it at Kagami. Just in time to see it come at him, Kagami ran out of its way, letting the picture frame break against the door. Hearing the glass crack, Kagami looked to the picture then you.

“That was an accident, huh Taiga? I didn’t mean to throw our picture, but hey. It was an accident!” You turned and found another picture. One second it was on the side table and next thing you knew it was thrown against the wall.

“____, stop!”

“Sorry, Taiga. I didn’t mean to throw those, they were accidents!” you yelled, the tears just falling.

Your anger erupted throughout your body and you just grabbed whatever to throw at Kagami. Another picture frame, a pillow, the throw on the couch, a stuffed bear he won you at a carnival, anything. But Kagami would dodge it. He could avoid these, but he couldn’t avoid the girl that was kissing him? He couldn’t dodge a hot girls lips against his skin? He couldn’t dodge a girl throwing herself at him? He could dodge you but not her?

“____, stop!” Kagami shouted, grabbing onto your wrists.

“Let go of me!” you shouted back. You broke out of Kagami’s grasp and slapped his cheek. There was a moment of silence after hearing your skin’s slap against each other. Kagami didn’t move, he just let his cheek sting. And you let everything spill. “You! You stop! Stop lying to me! Stop telling me it was an accident! Stop telling me to wait! You stop, Taiga!”

You walked out the door without Kagami saying another word.

⦽

The phone rang loudly in the dark. Aomine couldn’t hold back his grunt as he answered the phone. “Whoever this is, do you know how-”

“Daiki,” you whimpered.

Aomine’s eyes shot open as he sat up. “____? What’s wrong?”

There was only your whimpers and cries on the other line. Aomine walked out his room and into the kitchen. He was just mindlessly working now, making coffee. When he read the clock, it said 4:09 AM. Aomine waited for your cries to settle. “Can I come over?”

Aomine couldn’t hold back from his eyes widening. This was a bad idea. If you were planning to come here, that meant Kagami did something.

“What did Kagami do?” Aomine asked.

“Please, Daiki. Can I… Can I just come over?” Aomine could just picture you crying in the street, you wiping away at your tears.

Aomine closed his eyes as he sighed. “Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

After you gave Aomine your destination, he heard a click of a door as he was ready to leave. Aomine looked back to see Momoi wiping her eyes as she walked out her room. “Dai-chan? Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back. I need to get… What did you do last night?” Aomine asked bewildered. He was used to Momoi in her cami top and extremely short shorts to sleep in. He wasn’t used to kiss marks all over her neck and chest.

“Huh? Oh uh…” Momoi’s voice trailed off as she slapped her hands over her neck. She wouldn’t look Aomine in the eye. Must have been an ugly guy or something. “It was just a silly fun night. Nothing big. Where are you going so late?”

“____ needs me to get her. I think her and Kagami are fighting, so-”

“Daiki, no wait!” Momoi blurted out. How did she dart so fast from the other side of the living room to the front door?

“W-What?! What’s wrong with you?!” Aomine asked, startled. He tried releasing his arm from Momoi’s hold, but he began to panic and hold on tighter. “S-Satsuki, let go! What’s-”

“Don’t get ____-chan!”

“What, why not?! She needs me!”

“I know you’re in love with her, Dai-chan, but she can’t see me!”

“Why not?! You were probably going to be…” But then Aomine looked at Momoi’s marked neck again. They were kissed bruises, he wasn’t dumb. “What did you and Kagami do?”

“Dai-chan, please… Please don’t-”

But Aomine shook off Momoi off his arm. “I’m getting her. And you’re going to tell me what the fuck happened between you two after she leaves.”

Aomine slammed the door behind him as he left.


	2. Savior and Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He made you angry, he broke you. And after giving his consent to take your hand in marriage, Kagami had the audacity to cheat on you, with his other best friend. Cheating on the woman he was in love with was enough to burn the apartment complex down, but to cheat on her with his best friend. Aomine couldn’t sleep.
> 
> Regret. That was the first thing Aomine felt his in fingertips. He really gave Kagami his blessing to propose. It was the second biggest regret he had, next to introducing Kagami to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [sportanimefantasies.tumblr.com](https://sportanimefantasies.tumblr.com)

As soon as Aomine left the car to check on you, you ran into him, throwing your arms around him. It wasn’t east to hold back your cries anymore, and it was Aomine. You had no reason to hold back from him. Neither of you cared for the lonely homeless man watching you two stand in front of the car, barely standing as you shrieked your broken heart out.

The car ride was silent. Aomine just let you lay back in the chair as he had a hand on your thigh, rubbing his thumb against you comforting. You didn’t mind. He was your childhood friend, Kagami understood. He never thought it was strange. But just the thought of Kagami at the moment made you want to launch yourself out the moving car.

How could he do that to you? Were you not enough for him? Was the other woman worth it to hate the ring on your finger?

As you entered the apartment, Aomine grabbed onto your shoulder as you made your way to Momoi’s room.

“Daiki? I can’t-”

“She’s not home,” Aomine interjected. He noticed you looking at her shoes in the doorway, about to reply. “We got into a fight. I didn’t do the dishes.”

It was a miracle you could even manage a chuckle. “I thought you would learn by now.”

“C’mon, I’ll make you some tea. You can borrow some sweats or something,” Aomine suggested as he made his way to the kitchen. You nodded and headed into his room.

Aomine’s room was dark, surprisingly kept a bit neater than expected. As you opened his pants drawer, you fought the urge to look at the top of his dresser. You had been in his room enough to see the picture of him and Kagami together playing basketball from high school. You fought every urge to even glance at any picture you knew Aomine had with Kagami in them. Aomine didn’t deserve to have broken picture frames across his room. He may have introduced you to your fiance, but he didn’t force him to cheat on you.

When you closed the door behind you, Aomine was already on the couch with two steaming cups on the coffee table. It was silent between you two as you took a seat next to him. What was there for you to say? Where do you even start? Aomine’s stares didn’t give you the answer right away.

“Is the wedding still happening?” _Straight to it, I guess._

“I didn’t even remember we were engaged until I was walking for ten minutes,” you chuckled. You didn’t even bother fighting the tears, your head fell into your palms, letting the tears pool within your hands. “He didn’t even bother hiding the damn hickeys.”

You felt Aomine put the throw over your shoulders, bringing you into his chest. Aomine wasn’t much for words, sometimes it was a blessing. Sometimes he said the worst things, other times it was still worded badly. But you could feel the heart in them. Aomine’s heart was put into all his actions. As he held your head against his chest, just propping his chin over your head, it just made you weaker. Your cries were louder, your heart shattering more.

This was reality. Aomine was comforting you because Kagami had done the unspoken with another woman. Unspoken was the best word to say, because then you would think of the actual deeds Kagami had done. No matter what he said to you, would it really have been any better?

“How am I supposed to even see him? I can’t. Just… Just knowing those marks are there gets me so mad!” you cried, trembling. You could feel the diamond ring sinking into Aomine’s chest, and it just made you furious. Aomine flinched back once you suddenly stood up and threw the ring across the living room at full force. “We’re fucking engaged! How the hell can he do that?! We have a house together! And while I’m here planning out the damn flower arrangements, he’s out with another woman, kissing on her neck and-”

“____, you need to calm down,” Aomine commanded. He followed behind you as you paced the living room, your mind fuming. “Look at me, you need-”

“I need to know why he thought I wasn’t good enough for him to stay faithful!” you shot back. Aomine had no response. Just frustration in his eyes and in his clenched fists. “I need to know why the hell another woman would feel better than me after years of him telling me there would be no one else he’d rather sleep with! I need to know why now when we’re engaged! I need to know-”

“There’s alot to know but are you going to ask?!” Aomine challenged.

You winced, as if he actually slapped you in the face. They were just words but they hurt too damn much. Still wasn’t worse than the pain Kagami was putting you through.

“You need to calm down,” Aomine insisted. He ruffled his hair madly. “Kagami’s a fucking idiot. I know. But you guys are engaged. You have things to figure out, talk about. Just… Just not today. Or tomorrow. It’s too soon.”

It was like your body had a switch for when you should cry uncontrollably and becoming an emotionless statue. There was nothing but fact in Aomine’s words, but it didn’t make the pain go away. It didn’t seal pieces of your heart back together. It didn’t help. You wanted Momoi here too. Aomine was your spine, but Momoi was your heart and soul.

“She’ll be here to listen when she’s back, alright?” Aomine said as he wrapped his arms around you. It was no surprise Aomine could read your mind. “C’mon, you can take my bed. I’ll take the couch tonight.”

You shook your head. “I’ll just sleep in Satsuki’s room. When she’s home I’ll just-”

“Just do it,” Aomine grunted.

You didn’t even argue back as Aomine swept you into his arms, carrying you into his room. It was habit to lean against Aomine, and as he carried you, you felt your body cower against him. He was so tall and masculine. But he was Aomine, he and Momoi comforted you best. Even if you were engaged to Kagami, nothing could beat the feeling of both your best friends holding your heart.

Aomine wiped the tears from your cheeks as he kissed the top of your forehead. He looked back at you one last time with a pillow and blanket he grabbed from his closet. Probably just checking on you, but what was the point? He knew you would still roll over and cry into his pillow after the closed the door.

⦽

Kagami was letting his mind work on auto pilot. He didn’t care that his phone vibrated but his hands still grabbed onto it.

_**Aomine Daiki** : She’s here. And don’t go thinkin she’s trying to get payback with me either, asshole._

Kagami couldn’t even try to text a response. He didn’t have a right to even get annoyed. Aomine was doing a better job of taking care of you than he was, your own fiance.

The shatter glass and scratched pictures were still across the living room. Kagami didn’t bother to clean it. He didn’t bother with anything. After you slammed the door, he was on his knees for almost an hour. Just five hours before the fight, he was having trouble leaving the house because you two were too caught into each other’s kisses. Kagami almost didn’t want to leave. Then in a flash, you slapped him, leaving him in his place.

Now he laid, sprawled across your shared bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Kagami was past thinking of ways to fix your relationship. He didn’t even want to think of the possibility that there would not be a relationship anymore. Kagami got on one knee for a reason. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. He already spent a perfect five years together, of course he wanted a lifetime with you. But all Kagami could think, or barely process, was he had kissed another woman.

Not just kissed. His hands were all in her hair, every inch of her skin. Kagami’s lips traced every part of her body she begged for. He saw parts of this woman that should only be shown to someone special, someone you loved. Kagami knew for damn sure this woman didn’t love him and he knew he didn’t love her. The only one he had come to love with every muscle and bone in his body was you.

Momoi wasn’t you. So why was this happening?

Kagami punched another hole in the bedroom.

⦽

After Aomine sent the text message, he threw his phone in the direction where you threw the ring. He stared at his phone as it landed close to the ring. It was shining. It was 6:37 AM in winter. Why the fuck was it shining so bright?

The ring just screamed at Aomine every time it was on your finger. _You let her get away. She was never in love with, and never will be. Enjoy watching her be in a wedding dress for her wedding ceremony with another man._

Aomine snapped his head up, gritting his teeth together. Kagami made you cry. He made you angry, he broke you. And after giving his consent to take your hand in marriage, Kagami had the audacity to cheat on you, with his other best friend. Cheating on the woman he was in love with was enough to burn the apartment complex down, _but to cheat on her with his best friend_. Aomine couldn’t sleep.

Regret. That was the first thing Aomine felt his in fingertips. He really gave Kagami his blessing to propose. It was the second biggest regret he had, next to introducing Kagami to you. The next thing Aomine felt was disgust. With Kagami and Momoi. Not only was Momoi your best friend, Momoi knew Aomine was in love with you. Momoi knew best how much he hated this whole damn situation. You two falling for each other, you two dating, Kagami’s asking for his blessing, hearing you prepare for a wedding that wasn’t with him. But above all that, Aomine despised to see you get hurt. For Momoi to be taking part in your hurt made him bite down on his lip. He didn’t pay attention to the bleeding, it was better than slamming open her door and yelling all his frustration. It took all of his power to not let you see her with the kissed bruises along her neck.

All Aomine could do was make sure Momoi heard every word of your heartbreak. Because your heartbreak was Aomine’s approval to hurt anyone who broke you. Anyone.


	3. The Distance Won't Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were amazing. Momoi knew that first and best. Aomine’s eyes couldn’t even see the brightness in your diamond shine, only Momoi could. Because it always out shined her own diamond glow. But Momoi loved you. She wanted your shine to stay as lit as possible, even if Aomine wouldn’t look at her own.

“Daiki, was it really just dishes you guys fought over?” you asked curiously and a bit conflicted.

“Huh? Yeah, why?” Aomine asked, looking up from his cup of black coffee. He should have expected this to come up since you were doing the dishes. It wasn’t his fault. Whenever you did anything domestic like this for God knows how long, Aomine could only think about the mornings he would have with you if you were marrying him instead of Kagami.

Well, that’s if the wedding was still happening.

“Satsuki hasn’t been home for four days. I know I want to tell her everything, but I mean, I’m getting kind of worried now,” you said.

_She doesn’t deserve for you to be worried about her, ____._

Aomine sighed. “It’s not a big deal, ____. You know how Satsuki is, she’s over dramatic.”

“Yeah, but even four days away from you is alot for her. She loves you too much to keep that distance away from you,” you chuckled. You turned towards the sink just in time to miss the way Aomine’s eyes tensed.

You used that word too freely, too comfortably. _Love._

“Satsuki hasn’t even stopped by to even try to talk to you?” you asked. You joined Aomine at the table, perching your chin into your palm. “I mean, I’ve been gone like, three times to go to the store. She hasn’t even seen you then? Because I know you two don’t like fighting when I’m here.”

“I don’t like arguing in general. No, she hasn’t,” _That was a lie._

⦽

“How the fuck could you do that?!” Aomine shouted, a vein growing in the middle of his forehead. Even then, it didn’t radiate how furious Aomine was.

“What do you want me to tell you, Dai-chan?! You wouldn’t understand! You wouldn’t even try to listen!” Momoi countered. She couldn’t even look at Aomine.

He was mad at her. He was mad at her because of you. And she hated it. Momoi hated that she hated this. You were her first friend, her first best friend. Yet the man she had been in love with since childhood was in love with you. Aomine was so in love with you, even Momoi could tell it exhausted him. But he still dedicated every blood in his body to love you. And Momoi couldn’t help but hate it because Aomine didn’t love her like that. Not even half of his love for you amounted to the love he had for Momoi.

“Don’t fucking walk away, you’re going to fucking explain to me why you even thought making a move on Kagami was a goddamn good idea, Satsuki!” Aomine yelled, quickly grabbing Momoi’s elbow.

“Let me go, Dai-chan! You’re hurting me!” Momoi cried.

But Aomine couldn’t care. Momoi hurt you, no, she broke you. “No! Not until you fucking tell me why!”

“Daiki, stop! It hurts!”

“Satsuki, fucking tell me!” Aomine pulled Momoi harder to him, his grasp making her arm turn red.

“Daiki, please stop!” No matter how much Momoi would fight, it was no use. Her hands would just rub off Aomine’s hold and her punches didn’t make him flinch one bit.

“Dammit, why can’t you just fucking tell me?!” Momoi winced as Aomine’s spit landed on her face. She tried to lean away, just to get away. She didn’t want this. Aomine was only like this because of you. Not because he was in love with Momoi. It was hurting more.

“Because you’d reject me!” Momoi was in love with Aomine. Even as he yelled at her right now, she was still in love with him. She couldn’t help it. But she also couldn’t help Aomine being in love with you.

You were amazing. Momoi knew that first and best. Aomine’s eyes couldn’t even see the brightness in your diamond shine, only Momoi could. Because it always out shined her own diamond glow. But Momoi loved you. She wanted your shine to stay as lit as possible, even if Aomine wouldn’t look at her own.

The whole situation tore Momoi in two.

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Aomine shouted, pulling Momoi once more. All he could see was your tears, even as Momoi cried. She shouldn’t be crying when she was the reason Aomine had to even see you cry. You ran into his arms, crying, only because Momoi and Kagami were idiots.

“Because I’m in love with you like you’re in love with ____!”

The blood rushed throughout Momoi’s arm once Aomine let go. His eyes were so wide, it was hard to believe they weren’t going to fall out. Aomine took a step back. Momoi shook her head, slowly. This is what she didn’t want.

“Daiki, you have to understand, I-”

“You’re… You… You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Aomine let out. At first, he couldn’t find the words. He was still processing what Momoi had just said. But once they actually came to, it had to be different.

Momoi didn’t know what she was talking about.

“You’re not in love with me. So, tell me,” Momoi was confused. Aomine’s fists were trembling. His eyes were on fire. “What’s the real reason you’re hurt ____?”

At first Momoi’s mind was blank. Did Aomine really just say that?And then her annoyance turned. It grew from annoyance to anger, and then rage. Unbelievable. Aomine Daiki was an unbelievable human being. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, I’m not, Satsuki!” Aomine yelled. But then he was shocked to see Momoi jump to her feet and stomp towards him.

“I have been in love with you since I met you. Since the days we played basketball together!” Momoi tried to control her voice. But as the distance closed between Aomine and her, she pushed Aomine in the chest. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to make him fall, but she could make him take a step back.

“Watch it, Satsuki, you-”

“No, you watch it, Daiki. I have been in love with you since as long as I can damn well remember!” Another push and another step back. It only made Aomine hiss in irritation. Frustration. Everything.

“One more time, and-”

“And what, Daiki? You won’t fall in love with me? Yeah, I know!” Momoi yelled as she shoved Aomine. He took a large step back now. He was grinding his teeth together now, trying to hold back his words. “I’m in love with you, longer than ever! Longer than you have ever been in love with ____! I’ve known you longer and you love her, not me!”

“Shut up, Satsuki! We weren’t-”

“No, you wanted to know why I hurt your precious ____, and here’s why. Every day I’ve been in love with you, you fell for ____ twice as hard! You never looked at me once! Even when I stood by you for your games, even when Tetsu-kun left. Everything!”

Aomine couldn’t unsee what he was seeing. It was impossible. Even when Momoi cried so furiously, it just made Aomine’s blood boil. Because he hated seeing you cry, and to see Momoi cry made him want to punch a wall. There was no way in hell this is his fault.

“I slept with Kagami to take away what she took from me!” Momoi shrieked, pushing Aomine against the wall. “I wanted her to fall apart like I have been trying to keep it together for as long as you were in love with her!”

“How the hell could you do that to her?! To ____?! Your best friend?!”

“Because I love you!”

“You love her, too!”

“But I’m in love with you, Daiki! I love you more!”

“Shut up!” Aomine slammed his fist against the wall.

Momoi jumped to the sound, both frozen in their stands. The apartment was finally silent, yet it killed Momoi more than the yelling. He was shaking, it almost seemed like the whole apartment was shaking. His shoulder blades were out more, or maybe Momoi could only see them. She knew. Aomine couldn’t look at her.

“Daiki… I-”

“I don’t love you,” Aomine whispered.

Momoi’s stomach dropped. Her heart dropped into her stomach. Momoi didn’t bother to find words to say because her mind was blank. The only thing she could do was turn and run out the apartment.

The door slammed shut, but Aomine could barely hear Momoi’s steps. She was running away so fast. It made Aomine chuckle as his knees found the carpet.

“I don’t love you, Satsuki,” Aomine chuckled. He bent over, his arms shaking against the floor. He had to fight the urge to scream, to punch this whole apartment into nothingness. You were going to come back to him, you were going to worry. He couldn’t have that. “I love ____.”


	4. Deep Cuts with Glass Inside

It had been a few days since Momoi walked to your house. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, nor did she want to find another place to stay at. It was fucked up, she knew. But Momoi could only handle the surprise on Kagami’s face rather than someone like Kise or Kuroko’s. At least Kagami knew what was going on, what she had done. If her other friend’s were too find out, she didn’t know if she could stay in Japan.

Momoi was a walking contradiction. What she felt, everything she said, what has happened. They were all her actions done with full potential. She couldn’t explain it. She did love you, Aomine’s words weren’t false. But neither were Momoi’s. Her love for you and Aomine were on completely different spectrums. Momoi did worry about you. After everything had happened, she felt the remorse live in her even if she was throwing up at home. The disgusting muck that came out of her wasn’t anything as poisonous as the regret Momoi had in her soul. But even as she worried for what she had done to you and how you were heartbroken, because of her, Momoi was telling the truth when she told Aomine why. Why she slept with your fiance.

_ No, you wanted to know why I hurt your precious ____, and here’s why. Every day I’ve been in love with you, you fell for ____ twice as hard! _

Her mind was filled with these thoughts every morning she stood in your kitchen, cooking for her and your fiance. Kagami could see the deep thought Momoi was in every day, yet he never questioned it. He didn’t question all of this.

But Kagami was in love with you. And he wanted you so bad. So today was the day.

“What are you doing here?” Kagami asked.

Momoi looked up from her plate and across the table to Kagami. They had been eating meals in silence ever since she came. What were they supposed to talk about? The obvious of course, yet neither had the courage to start it.

But Kagami was in love with you. And he wanted you so bad. All the question and thoughts he had been holding back from shouting at the world were bubbling out of him.

“Because I couldn’t stay home, Kagamin,” Momoi responded, placing more food in her mouth right after.

Kagami’s eyebrows furrowed at the sound of his name coming out of Momoi’s mouth, so calmly. As if she hadn’t messed up his life. Momoi jumped in her seat when Kagami slammed his hands onto the table as he stood. His plate of food fell to the floor, but he didn’t care.

“Why?! Why me?! Why here?!” Kagami shouted.

“You know why!” Momoi raged. She stood from her chair so quick it fell back.

“No! I know you’re not in love with me! So why?! Why did you kiss me when we went to the bar?!”

“We were drunk! Tetsu-kun and I were talking, and then-”

“Just because Kuroko rejects you doesn’t mean you can come after me!”

Momoi’s eyes widened, infuriated. She stomped to the other side of the table, pushing Kagami back as hard as she could. What was with her? She never would have done this to Kagami or Aomine. But the rage and tears in her eyes blinded her. “You can’t blame this all on me! You kissed me back! You undressed me in the bathroom when Tetsu-kun eft us!”

“And I feel like fucking shit! But I need to know why! Just give up on Kuroko and-”

“Could you give up on ____-chan?!”

Just the mention of your name brought tears to Kagami’s eyes. He missed you. He missed you so damn much. The bed was bigger and more cold, the nights were longer. And ever since Momoi had come, he barely got sleep. She slept in the guest bedroom, but just her presence… It made yours become farther and farther from him. Kagami had tried to function normally at work. But deadlines passed, co-workers were worried, and his boss eventually telling Kagami to come back when everything was going to be okay.

Kagami gritted his teeth to the thought. When was everything going to be fine? What was “fine” going to be? Was the wedding still happening? Would the four of you get to be like before? Before Kagami and Momoi hurt you, before Kagami disappointed Aomine?

“No,” Kagami hissed quietly. His body stood straighter, less defensively. Momoi cried silently, standing straight as well. She could see. Kagami’s fists were trembling with anger and regret. She knew, because that’s all she had been doing lately. “I couldn’t give up on her.”

Momoi was crying uncontrollably now. Kagami was so in love with you, and as a couple, Momoi was your number one fan. That was the maid of honor’s job. But it just reminded her of how much Aomine was in love with you. One of Kagami’s groomsmen, your best friend, the man Momoi was in love with, was so in love with you, just like Kagami was. She couldn’t stand the mix of emotions she was feeling.

“But why me? Why not Aomine?” Kagami asked.

“Because I can’t give up on him!” Momoi shouted, her fists hitting Kagami’s chest over and over again.

“W-What?! Hey, Momoi! Stop, I-”

“I didn’t sleep with you because of Tetsu-kun!” Momoi grabbed a fistful of Kagami’s shirt, trembling. She leaned her head against him as she bent over. “I wanted Daiki! I wanted you to be Daiki so bad! Tetsu-kun kept talking about Daiki and ____-chan so much that night, I couldn’t take it! I was so mad and drunk!”

“Momoi, calm down! I was there, I know! So what if-”

“I’m in love with Daiki so much! Since we were kids til now! I live with him and he still won’t even look at me!” Momoi shouted louder and louder with each word. Suddenly, she shoved Kagami out of her grasp and held onto her hair. “It’s not fair! I’ve been in love with him for so long and been with him so much more, so why?! What does ____-chan have that I don’t?!”

Kagami’s ears buzzed as his eyes went as wide as his heart exploded. “What?”

Momoi didn’t answer. All she could do was fall to the ground, her forehead against the carpet as it caught her tears. Her cries were the only thing audible, but not loud enough to drown out Kagami’s thoughts.

“Aomine’s… He’s in love with ____?” Kagami said. His mind was blank really. His chest burned, but all he could see were the words written out.  _ Aomine is in love with ____. _

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Momoi panted over and over again.

Kagami looked to Momoi slowly. The night you left, when his mind had been on autopilot, his mind was the same now. It was strange. Kagami’s legs moved on their own and made their way over to Momoi before he knelt down next to her. Kagami’s mind was a blank white paper and in the middle was the same sentence, getting larger and larger. Yet Kagami’s body found the will to comfort Momoi. His large hands rubbed at her back while she held herself, still on her knees and forehead to the ground as she wailed.

The room went silent when they both heard the front door close. Their eyes looked to the footsteps only to widen with surprise.

“Look, I’m here to get clothes for ____ and I’m out,” Aomine announced.

“Daiki,” Momoi’s voice was shaky. She was about to stand, she was getting ready to stand next to Aomine with a smile. But that smile vanished as soon as it had come, because you came into mind. Aomine just had to say your name and it was such a reminder to everything. Momoi’s wails had become audible again and her body trembled.

Aomine averted his eyes as he sighed deeply. He knew Momoi would come here. He knew her.

Kagami just stared. Aomine was in love with you. That sentence became sharper in Kagami’s mind the more he stared at Aomine. How could he stand there so nonchalant while Momoi wailed? Kagami’s teeth clenched together as Aomine said nothing to him, he just stood waiting.

“C’mon, Kagami. I don’t have time to wait and ____ is waiting. Can you get her clothes?” Aomine asked.

The way Aomine spoke to Kagami rubbed him the wrong way. Or maybe the sentence finally processed fully in Kagami’s mind.

_ Aomine is in love with ____. _

“Argh!” Kagami yelled as he launched himself at Aomine.

Aomine didn’t have time to move out of Kagami’s way. Kagami’s body slammed against Aomine’s, making them slam against the hallway wall with a thud that made the house shake.

“What the fuck, Kagami?!” Aomine shouted, rubbing the back of his head.

But Aomine didn’t get to relax after Kagami’s sudden outburst. Kagami swiftly brought his fist to Aomine’s jaw, his other fist following the movement. As Kagami raised his left fist to punch Aomine again, Aomine grabbed his wrist just in time to save Aomine some time. With the delay in movement, Aomine kicked Kagami in the stomach, causing him to launch back into the living room.

“Kagamin! Daiki! Guys, stop!” Momoi gasped.

She was paralyzed. This wasn't what she wanted. This isn't what was supposed to happen. No matter how many cries she let out whenever Kagami or Aomine hit the other, they wouldn't stop. Anger seeped out of them, and Momoi was terrified.

“You bastard!” Kagami yelled, deep from his throat. Kagami punched Aomine directly in the middle of the chest, a grunt leaving both of their mouths.

“What the hell, Kagami?! You’re the bastard!” Aomine fumed, launching himself at Kagami.

Aomine’s arms wrapped around Kagami’s waist, pushing him forward. They landed against one of the side tables, knocking over the table and decorations. Glass broke, slicing into Aomine and Kagami’s arms. But neither cared. Especially Kagami. He leaned back more, making the glass pierce deeper into his skin, just to bring his leg back and kick Aomine in the face.

“Fuck!” Aomine shouted. There was blood everywhere. The skin that was pierced by the glass burned, his lip was cut, and he could feel bruises beginning to swell. But Aomine didn’t care. He stood immediately and grabbed Kagami, bringing him up a bit with his shirt, punching him in the face. “You got a problem with me, bastard?! The fuck is your problem?!”

Just as Aomine was about to throw another punch, Kagami grabbed it with his hand. It honestly surprised Aomine. But Kagami’s eyes, they burned with rage.

“You’re in love with ____?!” Kagami first hissed the words but then yelled as each word left his mouth.

Aomine’s eyes widened then darted to Momoi. Her eyes were just as wide, but mortified. She just gave Aomine another reason to hate her.

“You’re fucking unbelievable!” Aomine yelled from the bottom of his lungs.

There. Momoi’s heart, or what was left of it, shattered even more. Was there even a heart anymore?

“D-Daiki, I didn’t mean-I didn’t-”

“You fucking sleep with this bastard, and then sleep here?! Now you want to spill everything because you’re fucking mad?! Who the hell are you, Satsuki?!”

“We’re not done, Aomine!” Kagami rose to his feet and kicked Aomine with all his might.

The large display stand that held pictures, decorations, and other trinkets were smashed as Aomine’s body flew against it. Aomine yelled at the impact. Another piece of glass pierced his skin, in his side. He might actually have to go to the hospital. But he didn’t have time to think. Kagami stomped towards Aomine, but within the next step, Aomine used all his strength to punch Kagami in the jaw. Momoi shrieked at the impact. Kagami was standing but when Aomine punched him, his body teetered back. He fell down, landing on his back. It was hitting Aomine now, because his body swayed back and forth. Aomine fell back against the wall, trying his best to hold himself up. It was no use. Aomine’s body was already feeling each throw from Kagami, especially in his head. His body fell and leaned against the wall.

They were messed up, bad. Momoi couldn't help it though, her body launched towards Kagami. He was the closest one to her and he had just landed on more glass.

“Kagamin! Kagamin, are you okay?!” Momoi cried, a hand on Kagami’s chest. He held his head, but it didn’t stop the spinning or the bleeding.

“Oh my God, Taiga!”

Aomine’s eyes darted to the hallway and widened to see you standing there. You covered your mouth, as if trying to hide the shock. You began to take a few steps toward Kagami, but then Momoi was there. He was fine. But… Something in your chest burned at this sight. Shaking off the thought, you looked to your left and met Aomine’s eyes.

“Daiki! Oh my God, you're bleeding!” you gasped as you fell to his side. Your eyes looked at his body. As Aomine tried to sit up, he hissed as his sides burned from the glass piercing him. “Oh my God, Daiki, stop! Stop!”

But Aomine didn’t listen. He got to his feet abruptly, his hand around your wrist. “We’re leaving.”

“What-Daiki! Wait!” Aomine began to pull you. Even as you objected, Aomine was able to get you to take a few steps. But then, your other hand was held back by Kagami’s hold on you. “T-Taiga?”

His eyes weren't on you. They burned with rage, staring at Aomine. “You’re not taking her.”

“We’re leaving,” Aomine hissed.

You looked back and forth as the two growled at one another. The air in the room was so heavy, you were suffocating. Suddenly, you pulled your hands back and looked to each one of them. “I can make my own decisions! And my first decision is to make you guys tell me what the hell is going on!”

And then you heard footsteps behind Kagami. Momoi.

“Satsuki! Oh thank God, someone else…” The strange feeling came back in your chest.

Momoi wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were red and her eyelashes wet. She had been crying. And…

“Satsuki, why are you here?”

Momoi tried for words. But each time her mouth opened, everything she wanted to say felt wrong. You raised an eyebrow as she tried, and then you looked to the other two. They wouldn't look you in the eyes. There was… There was just that burning in your chest, and it burned more when you stared at Kagami. He averted his eyes from you and Momoi.

Your eyes widened and your head snapped to Momoi.

“Oh my God,” you cried. You covered your mouth, but it didn’t silence your tears.

“____, wait! Let me-”

“No!” you slapped Momoi’s hand away. “You slept with Taiga! What is there to explain?! You! You of all people!” Your head snapped to Kagami. You could just hear him trying to find the words too, but you didn’t let them escape. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! You cheated on me with my best friend!”

“____, we’re going, c’mon-”

“No! I’m staying here! I’m…” you blabbered uncontrollably. They just wouldn't stop. How Kagami and Momoi stared at you, guilty. You couldn't stop anything. The tears. The pain. Your anger.

So you slapped Momoi. Maybe a little too hard, but you honestly didn't care. So what if she fell? Kagami can comfort her. You stared at Momoi as she just held her cheek, letting it sting. Compared to the past few days, this was almost bliss. Almost.

Momoi didn't know what to expect, but she still tried. And she regretted it. It would have been better if Momoi looked to Aomine and he had his eyes on you. She was used to that. But in that moment, Momoi felt every nerve in her body cease to exist. She didn't want to exist when the man she loved looked at her with such hatred in his eyes. Aomine bore holes into Momoi’s soul with such disappointment and anger, Momoi couldn't stop crying. She wanted to call out to Aomine, but no words came out. Momoi didn't have the heart anymore to even try.

“The wedding’s off,” you seethed.

Kagami’s eyes went wide. He was finally something other than angry, but he didn’t want this. Kagami darted to you, hands on shoulders. “____, I’m sorry, please just wait!”

“Get your hands off of her!” Aomine thundered, standing in between the two of you.

“You stay out of this, this is my marriage,” Kagami threatened, a low growl.

“You should have thought of that when you went out and slept with Satsuki! You don’t get to say that shit anymore, Kagami,”

“You don’t get a say in this, you fucking bastard. You’re just gonna take her from me,”

Your eyes went wide at that, but they didn't let you get a say in the conversation. Aomine and Kagami were intimidating, but right now… It was a whole new level.

“I wouldn’t do that. Or fucking cheat on her. Don’t blame me for your fuck up, Kagami,”

“Of course I fucking blame you!” Kagami roared. You had to take a step back. Your anger still leaked out through you, but not like Kagami. He was furious, frustrated, and scared. You were about to be taken out of his life.

“I wasn’t the one who kissed another woman!”

“If you weren’t in love with my fiancé, Momoi wouldn’t have come for me! This is all your fault!”

“What?” you asked flabbergasted.

“A woman tries to sleep with you, you’re supposed to reject them! I don’t have to be engaged or any type of bull shit to know that, Kagami!”

“You-”

You stepped in front of Aomine and slapped Kagami. “Stop blaming everyone else for cheating on me, when you cheated on me!”

You didn’t bother to look back. You knew Aomine was following from the sounds of the footsteps. Momoi’s wails and Kagami’s blabbering went together, and it infuriated you. You sat in Aomine’s driver seat, impatiently waiting for Aomine to get in the passenger seat. From the corner of your eye, Kagami ran out of the house. By the time he got to the end of the front yard, Aomine slammed the door shut and your foot had never stomped on the gas pedal so fast.


	5. Split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know, I know!” You shook your head. You shook your head for many reasons. You didn’t want to hear this anymore, but you didn’t want this. Aomine felt so unbalanced, yet he was the only one with a sane head lately. But right now… “But you’re only mad at Satsuki! Daiki, how can you-”
> 
> “I can be this mad because you’re not! It’s like you don’t know what you do and don’t deserve! And you fucking don’t deserve this! You’re too damn nice to her because we’re all childhood best friends! If that applied to her, she wouldn’t have done this to you! She fucked you over, and it’s pissing me off! How can you not be mad at her when she slept with your fiance?!” Aomine fumed, a vein formed in the middle of his forehead and temples. It was starting to frighten you how angry Aomine was.
> 
> “Because I’m more mad at Taiga! He’s my fiance, yet he can do that! He’s just as guilty as Satsuki! Why aren’t you as mad at him?!”
> 
> Aomine spun around and threw the side table as he yelled. “Because I don’t care about stupid Kagami! I don’t fucking care about Satsuki, all I care about is you, ____!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [sportanimefantasies.tumblr.com](https://sportanimefantasies.tumblr.com)

“____, pull over,” Aomine commands. His eyes never moved from your trembling hands until he asked. Your eyes were watering and your lip quivered. “Pull over now, ____.”

“You need to see a doctor now, so we can’t stop,” you protested. It was getting harder and harder to fight back the tears.

“Pull over, dammit! You shouldn’t drive!” Aomine roared, his wide eyes shifted from your to the road and back.

“No!” you coughed.

You were suffocating. There were no holding back your wails and there was nothing to help you focus on breathing. You gasped for air repeatedly as you continued to shake with each cry you let out. With each cry, another thought came to. Kagami had cheated. He came home with kisses and marks from another woman. Not just any woman, Momoi. Your best friend’s lips had been all over the skin loved to hold when you were cold, to feel when you were in the shower, and to kiss when you felt loved. Kagami and Momoi had done things you two had done before so easily, no thought to it. Without you in their mind, they just enjoyed each other’s bodies. It made you sick.

Aomine rubbed at your back, trying to get you to calm down. But when he turned to see the street, there wasn’t a calm way to handle this anymore. You were going fast towards stopped cars at a red light, with no mind to stop slow.

“____, stop!”

Your heart jumped to Aomine’s roar but your foot stomped on the break. Aomine’s tires screeched against the pavement, leaving a weaving black trail behind it. You couldn’t feel your heart work. Just Aomine’s muscley arms in front of you, preparing you for impact. Luckily, there wasn’t. You had stopped the car to a halt just a couple of inches before the car in front of you.

“D-Daiki, Daiki,” you stammered, shaking uncontrollably now.

Aomine didn’t wait another second. Even with your wails echoing throughout the streets and eyes of strangers staring at you and Aomine, he stepped out the car and slammed the door behind him. In his mind, he cursed Kagami and Momoi. You were like this because of them and their stupid, selfish intents.

Aomine makes his way to your door and opens it. “C’mon, I’ll drive,” But Aomine doesn’t let you say a word. He knows all you can do is cry and shake right now. So he unbuckles the seatbelt and lifts you out of the car. He didn’t care for the honking cars behind him. If they really wanted to beat the green light, they would drive around his stopped car.

All Aomine cared about was getting you into the backseat so you could lie down and cry. There was nothing he could do at this point other than let you do what your heart needed and drive to the hospital because he really needed this burning in his sides to go away. The glass that pierced his skin earlier was lodging itself into him now, getting deeper and deeper.

Once Aomine got you into the back seat, he made his way to the driver’s seat. He did his best to ignore the burning in his skin and your heartbroken wails. All he had to do was drive to the hospital and not think of anything else.

Yet, his mind could not stop racing from thought to thought. Aomine had hoped you would fight him on sitting in the back so you could cry next to him. You usually would have done that. Aomine didn’t want to think you did that because you knew of his feelings now. That couldn’t be it, you never thought like that. Nor could you think like that.

Aomine shakes his head. _How stupid._ He’s so worried about himself he doesn’t think about the reality of your situation. Kagami cheated on you with Momoi. You walked into your own home unknowingly to this fact until you had seen the two of them. Aomine wondered what made you realize it. The way they looked at you guiltily or the way they looked away from you guiltily. Maybe when you first walked into your house and saw Momoi comforting Kagami instead of Aomine. Momoi always chose Aomine. So why Kagami in the fight? Why check on him instead of the man she was in love with?

You had too many questions and thoughts for Aomine’s feelings to be a thought. Aomine sighed to his selfishness. He had no right to be selfish right now. Especially when you needed something stable. And in these past few days of such disasters, Aomine was the closest thing to sanity. He knew that you were feeling that.

Aomine was all you had. Right?

⦽

Hours passed since Aomine and you walked into the hospital. The doctors didn’t ask too many questions. They just asked the basic questions they needed to know how to proceed next with you two. How much the pain was, were there any past injuries that could cause the currents one to worsen, questions like those. After a few stitches and painkillers were prescribed to Aomine, you two were out the hospital.

As you two made your way into the car and Aomine drove to his place, there still wasn’t a conversation. Aomine didn’t blame you. You were exhausted, mentally and physically. Aomine could see it in the bags of your eyes and the frown you had. You stared out the window quietly, just noticing the way Aomine drove.

You turned to Aomine confused when he turned on the opposite street. “Where are we going, Daiki?”

“A hotel,” Aomine answered plainly.

“What, why?” you demanded as you sat straighter in the chair.

“You can’t stay at the apartment anymore. It’s going to be too much for you,” Aomine informed sternly. But his answer didn’t satisfy you. It only angered you.

“How would you know?!” you yelled infuriated.

“Because I know you keep thinking ‘This isn’t home, but I can’t go home’ and now it’ll just be worse!” Aomine countered. His knuckles began to turn white as he gripped onto the steering wheel tighter.

“And being alone in a hotel room will be better for me?! You even know that sounds like a stupid idea!” you pointed out, your eyes burning. The tears being held back stung your eyes.

“You won’t be alone, I’ll come see you when you need me. Just-”

“I need you at all times, Daiki!” you cried out. Your hands found Aomine’s jacket, clenching onto them tightly. Aomine eye’s widened as he turned onto another street. Just a few more turns and he will be in the hotel’s parking lot. These were just pretty words he can’t get excited for. Aomine shook his head. “Daiki, please. I don’t want to be alone, I need you to be-”

“I’m taking you to a hotel, end of this damn discussion. You don’t need-”

“I do! Why do you think you know what I need more than I do?!” you shouted frustratedly. You were warm, even as you couldn’t stop crying. Your forehead rested against Aomine’s arm as you cried and cried and cried. It had been the only thing you could do lately. “Why are you trying to get rid of me, too?!”

Aomine stomped on the breaks, eyes wide at you. “You know damn well I would never do some shit like that, ____!”

“Then let me stay with you! I can’t be alone! Not now! Please!” you begged. “Daiki, I can’t be okay without now. I need you… Please.”

Aomine was thinking selfishly again. Did he really know what was best for you or was he trying to avoid you? Were his feelings actually starting him? Aomine had been in love with you for so long, and now… What if…

Aomine shook his head. _No._ He never thought he could ever want to get rid of you. Why would he? Aomine was in love with you. Yet… You didn’t know that. Well, not until now. The car’s engine hummed as your cries muffled into Aomine’s arm, leaving Aomine to ponder his decisions.

“I need answers, and some type of ground to stand on, because I’m going crazy! Just last week I was planning a wedding! My wedding! Now I’m running away from my own fiance and best friend because they fucked me over! I need you, Daiki!” you begged into his arms.

You were shaking again. Aomine could feel your nails imprinting into his skin. If the situation was different, maybe he would have told you to stop. Maybe.

Aomine brought his hand to your thigh, rubbing his thumb comfortingly. You didn’t bother to check if he was making his way to the apartment. From the feels of the car turning and Aomine’s sigh, he changed his mind. You were just too heartbroken to stop crying into your best friend.

⦽

For some reason, it was hard not to look at Momoi’s room once you entered the apartment. Aomine didn’t have to look at you to know how torn you were to be here. He was beginning to regret his decision, especially when you turned to him with a frown.

You finally understood what Aomine meant. _“Because I know you keep thinking ‘This isn’t home, but I can’t go home’ and now it’ll just be worse!”_

Silently, Aomine walks up to you and puts a hand on your head. He doesn’t have to say a word for you to know what he meant. There was a silent language between you two, even with Momoi. You all just knew what the other was thinking when someone did something to the other. Some childhood best friend phenomenon Momoi would say. Once you caught yourself thinking of Momoi, you huffed. You immediately shook away the thoughts and thought of the hand atop your head.

_Talk about it when you’re ready._

That was what was behind Aomine’s gesture. But it made you want to fall into him and cry more just like the first day. Would you ever be ready?

At the sight of Aomine stepping ahead, you eyes widened. It was immediate to have your arms around his waist, trembling from your thoughts. Aomine didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

“Daiki… Daiki, what am I supposed to do?” you cried.

Aomine’s eyebrows furrowed in guilt. He had no participation in your heartbreak but to see this… When you're in love, that someone’s pain is your own. Aomine felt that deeply as you broke down next to him.

“What do you want?” Aomine asked as he placed a hand over your trembling ones.

For the long years Aomine was in love with you, he had gotten used to banishing selfish thoughts. Except lately. Lately it had been getting… Harder. Deep down, for years on end, Aomine wanted to know. Your feelings for him, if there was ever a chance to be with you… But all those years that he forced down his thoughts, it was hard to not ask them now. Because Aomine had a chance again. Maybe, just maybe… This was Aomine’s last chance to be with you.

“I still… I still love Taiga,” you gasped.

 _Of course._ Aomine scoffed at his own selfish thoughts. He was definitely selfish to think about his own desires right now. And stupid. You were his world, but Aomine was only a third of yours. Kagami was still the sun that the world orbited. Because the world couldn't be without the sun. Aomine was just a part of yours… He didn’t know what he felt for that. He just accepted it.

“I know,” Aomine didn’t want to sound frustrated. It took him more than he thought he needed to do to hold back his sigh. “I know.”

“But… But I can’t look at Taiga without seeing… Satsuki,” you sighed. You pressed your forehead deeper into Aomine’s back muscles. “How am I supposed to marry someone when I just see another woman? That woman being my best friend? How am I even supposed to face Satsuki? She hates me.”

Aomine’s eyes widen. At first with shock, but then it turned into confusion then ended with such frustration and anger. He gets so angry, his hand moves on its own. He snaps yours arms off of him and twists his body so fast, you didn’t even know he could move that fast. Before you could even get a word, your body became paralyzed. Aomine was angry. No, he was infuriated. He was livid.

“How can you be so worried about how she fucking feels?! She’s the damn reason Kagami cheated on you! She’s the reason all of this bull shit happened!” Aomine yells, his hand flying in the air.

“And so is Taiga! Did you forget that?! How come you weren’t mad at him when I mention him?!” you questioned astonished. Astonished and annoyed.

“Did you forget who got into a fight with that bastard?! Did you forget who just got out of the hospital for fighting the damn idiot?!” Aomine tests. You flinch back at the bluntness of his question. He scoffs. “Yeah, me! But you know what, even if he didn’t hit me first, I would have eventually hit him! Hell, its a damn shock it took me that long to fucking swing at the fucking cheating bastard!”

It was true. Aomine may have seemed walking into your house, but the moment he left you in the car, he was enraged. He fought all urges to run into the house and stomp Kagami in the face. It was worse when Aomine saw Momoi’s shoes in the doorway. His blood was past boiling and his body couldn’t find the strength to not shake. Each step Aomine took barely satisfied his anger because Momoi’s cries grew louder and louder. Momoi’s pain didn’t amount to yours, Aomine couldn’t feel sorry for Momoi. He especially didn’t feel sorry for you when he found Kagami comforting. The anger in his body began to mix with the disgust developing.

“How could your fiance comfort another woman, the woman he cheated on you with, but not come for you?!” Aomine ranted.

It was starting to become easier. To let his emotions slip out. All the emotions Aomine kept boxed inside all these years of being in love with you. Each word yelled became a suppressant to these ridiculous feelings.

In truth, Aomine was thankful Kagami threw the first punch. As the fight escalated, all his frustrations, conflictions, and tucked away sadness weakened. Each punch had some meaning behind it. Aomine was angry at Kagami for cheating on you, so he deserved to get punched. There was anger inside of him for Momoi betraying you and him, her supposed best friends. She had no loyalty when things didn’t work out in her favor apparently. When she told Kagami Aomine’s feelings, Aomine knew Momoi’s loyalty was elsewhere. Aomine couldn’t help but punch Kagami each and every time because he was just so damn disgusted to even know Kagami. Feeling that regret just made it worse, because Aomine punched Kagami with a little more power whenever Aomine reminded himself how mad he was at himself. If Aomine hadn’t introduced you two, if Aomine just treasured you…

Each punch helped the satisfaction, but it didn’t get all the anger out.

Aomine’s anger was getting to the best of him, but it also revealed the raw emotions in his heart. The feeling he had banished long time ago, the feelings you were seeing for the first time. And as Aomine paced the room with growls and fighting the temptation to punch holes into the wall, you could see. You could see the hidden feelings multiplying and worsening.

“How can you be so mad at Satsuki?! It’s also-”

“How can you not be mad at her?! She hurt you! She’s the reason you’re even hear crying to me because Taiga is such a dumb ass for what he did!”

“I know, I know!” You shook your head. You shook your head for many reasons. You didn’t want to hear this anymore, but you didn’t want this. Aomine felt so unbalanced, yet he was the only one with a sane head lately. But right now… “But you’re only mad at Satsuki! Daiki, how can you-”

“I can be this mad because you’re not! It’s like you don’t know what you do and don’t deserve! And you fucking don’t deserve this! You’re too damn nice to her because we’re all childhood best friends! If that applied to her, she wouldn’t have done this to you! She fucked you over, and it’s pissing me off! How can you not be mad at her when she slept with your fiance?!” Aomine fumed, a vein formed in the middle of his forehead and temples. It was starting to frighten you how angry Aomine was.

“Because I’m more mad at Taiga! He’s my fiance, yet he can do that! He’s just as guilty as Satsuki! Why aren’t you as mad at him?!”

Aomine spun around and threw the side table as he yelled. “Because I don’t care about stupid Kagami! I don’t fucking care about Satsuki, all I care about is you, ____!”

Silence entered the room and lingered for awhile. Aomine’s shoulders bobbed up and down as his heavy pants tried to calm. Tried. His hands found the couch, hovering over it as his mind tried to calm. The fuzzy feeling in his brain made him lightheaded, his heavy breathing was making it worst. This was too much. And you could tell.

“Hey, hey,” you called out, quickly making over to Aomine.

It was so easy to touch Aomine, you two broke boundaries of comfort as time moved on. Sometimes it was amazing, but times like this, Aomine had to fight his urges. And right now, he was having trouble fighting the urge to embrace you. If his head wasn’t light and his vision fuzzy, he might have taken the chance.

“I’m fine,” Aomine coughed. He palmed his forehead, his breathing becoming paced.

You rubbed Aomine’s back. He didn’t enjoy your concern, it made you frown too much.

“What?” You shook your head lightly. “You’re unbelievable. Even when your world turns to shit, you still worry about others.”

“I know,” you chuckled wryly. “Daiki?”

“Hm?”

“You… How can you say that? About Satsuki? She’s… She’s been in love with you,” you said quietly.

Aomine’s muscles tensed beneath your touch. Ah, he knew. She told him. Aomine averted his eyes as you continued to rub his back.

“You knew?” Aomine asked.

Just because the words left your mouth, it made the fact more concrete to Aomine. Momoi had been in love with him since he had been in love with you. If anyone could understand his own feelings, it would be his best friend. And yet, Aomine felt unfair. He didn’t ask for this situation.

“Of course I knew!” you exclaimed, a little offended.

You were offended for Momoi, and Aomine couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Couldn’t you be a little offended that you didn’t have the slightest clue about Aomine’s feelings? Take pity on him rather than Momoi, shit. Aomine was going mad.

“Of course I knew, Daiki! Everyone knew! Even when she was crazy over Tetsuya, I knew it was just to get over you!!! But she only knew how to love you!”

“God, now you’re lying to me?!” Aomine argued back, finally looking at you. He didn’t ask for this bull shit of a situation.

“You know I would never lie to you! Why would I lie to you?!”

“Because it doesn’t make sense!” Aomine threw his arms, frustrated. “Satsuki could never give up on Tetsu! For fuck’s sake she went to their practice in a swimsuit for his damn attention!”

“Did it ever occur to you that’s how bad she was in love with you?!” you stomped. “She was so in love with you that she had to do whatever she felt like she needed for someone else’s attention! She was so in love with you that she went to that extent to get rejected by Tetsuya because she couldn’t handle still being in love with you and getting rejected by you! She did all of that because getting rejected by some second love would be better than getting rejected by you any longer!”

Aomine yelled as he pushed the couch. After the couch moved a couple of feet away, it wasn’t enough. He was still seething. Aomine stomped to the couch and took it from underneath to toss it onto its other side. You flinched back from the loud thuds and Aomine’s yells. Aomine was too infuriated to try and calm down.

“I wasn’t going to fall in love with Satsuki! I couldn’t as long as you were around!”

“Daiki, please, calm-”

“It seriously can’t be my fault that Satsuki used Kagami to cheat on you just because I could never fall in love with her, like she was in love with me!”

“Daiki, sh, come one! You need-”

“This seriously can’t be my fault that you’re fucking heartbroken because of me, when all I’ve ever done is try to keep your heart from breaking!”

“Daiki!” you screamed as you grasped Aomine’s crying face. He didn’t even know he was crying.

This has to end. Aomine was falling apart. He couldn’t lose his apartment because of you. You held his face, staring into his crying eyes as he panted, just waiting. In all honesty, you were too flabbergasted to say anything just yet. Your thumbs rolled over Aomine’s cheeks, swiping the tears away. No matter how much taller Aomine had become, you would always find ways to hold him. Aomine was the pillar in your life you never knew you leaned on so much. And you didn’t know how much of  a pillar you were to Aomine.

“You… You really didn’t know about Satsuki’s feelings, did you, Daiki?”

Aomine shakes his head, bringing his forehead against yours. “I just… I just wanted you to be okay.”

“...You really are in love with me, aren’t you, Daiki?” you hesitated.

His eyes went wide and pulled his head out of your hold. Aomine took a few steps back before turning towards his room.

“Daiki, wait-”

“We’re not talking about this, not now,” Aomine denied, his back to you.

“We are!” you argued, standing before him. “We have to.”

“Why?” Aomine groaned. He tried to step away, but you stopped him each time. “Not when all this bull shit happened.”

“When were we ever going to talk about this?!”

“Never, ____! Because I was just going to live with it like-”

“And Satsuki?!” You usually never really interrupted Aomine. But he was infuriating you now. He wasn’t listening. “You were just going to have her live a heartbroken life because-”

“Would you shut up about her?! I can barely handle watching you marry Kagami, how am I supposed to watch after Satsuki, when I’m the reason she’s even like that?! It’s not like I want to break her heart! I just…!”

“Just what?!”

“I just can’t suddenly fall out of love with you! Believe me, I’ve tried! But I just can’t, I just can’t give up on you!”

Today was shit. Today was exhausting. Today was so damn concrete. For everyone. Yours and Kagami’s wedding was called off. He actually cheated on you. Aomine wasn’t in love with Momoi. Aomine’s feelings for you were concrete.

All of it was just so much for everyone, individually and as a group. Seeing Kagami and Momoi together for you… Shitty didn’t cover the feeling. Betrayed didn’t either. Because of all people, the one you put all your trust in, your maid of honor, slept with you because the man she was in love with was in love with you. And you had no idea. Aomine admitting his own feelings to you rather than you hearing it, it was like you felt his pain. All these years of being friends, all the times he questioned his chances or choices. You wanted to know… You needed to know because…

“Why did you never tell me?” you asked. It was hard to ask, half of the question was stuck in your throat.

“Because I didn’t want to lose you, some corny shit like that. It was corny, but I… I really didn’t want to lose you,” Aomine chuckled wryly. He shook his head with a pained smile. Aomine made his way over to his tossed couch and sat down to lean back against it. “I really didn’t want to lose you.”

You hesitated. Was this actually too much for Aomine? Just how much more could you handle your world turning into something you never expected? You sat next to Aomine has he closed his eyes. He really hasn’t changed. Aomine may have grown to be an excellent man, but he was still the same guy whose protected you and watch over you.

“Is that why you introduced Kagami to me?”

Aomine raised an eyebrow at you. “You really think I tossed him to you just so I could try to get over you?” It was hard for Aomine not to chuckle when you shrugged. “Fuck, no. I introduced you because… He became one of us. It just felt normal. I never thought…”

“You never thought we’d-”

“Get married. I never thought you guys would even date, for fuck’s sake,” Aomine brought his head back against the couch.

“Do you regret it?”

“What? Introducing you two?”

“That and…” you debate if it’s even an appropriate question to ask.

“And?”

“Do you regret not telling me?”

Aomine meets your eyes sternly. At least he was calm now, in a sense. His face softens as he’s deep in thought. “I already decided I would never tell you. And just because you started falling for Kagami didn’t mean that would change.”

“But why?” you asked bewildered. “Daiki, that was… A selfish choice.”

“And you think because we’re best friends I had to tell you everything? Including my feelings for you?” Aomine challenged.

“A little,” you admitted. “It’s just… Maybe this would have never happened.”

“Are you serious? God, it’s like-”

You snapped at your head at Aomine. “I’m not done.” Aomine stared at you, holding his stare. But then he sighed, realizing his emotions were actually getting to him again. After he nodded, you continued. “Not just you. If you or Satsuki confessed, maybe neither of this would have happened. Maybe one’s unrequited love would have had closure and maybe one of us would have… We all would have been okay, one way or another.”

Aomine scoffs. “I couldn’t handle that. I’ve known you since we were little shit heads. You think I was ready to see you walk out my life?”

“Maybe you and Satsuki would have ended up together,” you shrugged. You held onto your knees that pressed against your beating chest. Your mind was racing to the past, thinking the same thing you would think back then.

“I don’t think so,” Aomine chuckles half heartedly. “In this reality, I’m too pissed at her to even think of that happening. I’m too in love with you to even think of some other worldly possibility of being in love with someone else. I couldn’t even care what Satsuki thought when Kagami asked me for permission to marry you. The bastard really asked me for permission. I regret introducing you two because he hurt you, the one thing I was trying hard to not happen. And when I see Satsuki with those damn hickeys that night you called me, I fought all my anger to drive to your house to beat the crap out of him instead. You needed me, you’ve needed me this whole time. And I’m too in love with you… You need me as a friend before anything else this whole time. And now you’re asking me if I regret anything. It’s like you’re asking me if I regret finding out what bad of a heartbreak you would have given me, ____. It’s totally…”

Aomine’s voice trailed off to see you sit there, nervous. You were full of thought, debating.

“____? What?”

“I…” you snapped your head to Aomine, still hesitant.

Aomine’s eyes widened. This was another one of those “excited, pretty words” type of moments that he had to remind himself you weren’t ever going to be in love with him. He had to remind himself that you never could be or never have been in love with him. But something in your eyes. The way they shined and hesitated all at once, Aomine was having more difficulty fighting off the thoughts.

“I…” you were still hesitant, especially seeing Aomine’s eyes become anxious. His words were truth, they were genuine… And then it hit you.

Aomine’s words processed slowly to you, and you had to look away from the anticipation in his eyes. They were distracting you from what Aomine had just admitted.

“____, what’s-”

“You knew for that long?”

Suddenly, a pit formed in Aomine’s stomach and he didn’t understand why. Nor did he like it.

“Yeah,” Aomine hesitated. There was a fire in your eyes now. The pit in his stomach deepened. “After you called me, Momoi came out and I saw her neck. I figured it was something stupid, but when I put two and two together, it was really hard not to drive to Kagami and kick-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” you spat, immediately jumping to your feet.

Aomine watched you pace back and forth, finally the situation clicking into his mind. “____, wait, I just wanted-”

You slapped his hands away from trying to hold you. Your heart hurt to see his eyes widened, but your heart was too enraged. God, first Kagami, then Momoi… Now Aomine? “You just wanted me like some prize! Because Kagami fucked up, you thought you could just keep me here to yourself!”

“What?! No! ____, do you hear yourself?! That’s the stupidest-”

“No! The stupidest thing is I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what went wrong, what did I do wrong, and what I’m supposed to do next! And while I’m breaking down, you just watched me! You just sat there and watched me break down and become some dysfunctional-”

“How was I was supposed to tell you?!” Aomine argued. _No, no, no, this could not be happening._ “I had no proof! Satsuki ran out after she heard us that night you came over! I didn’t want you to see her when I was still mad at-”

“Oh my God, she was here?! You should have told me in the car! You should have told me when we got into the apartment and made Satsuki confess! You should have told me instead… Instead… Instead of lying to me, Daiki!”

Aomine’s eyes widened. “I didn’t lie to you! I could never lie to you, ____! You need to calm down, you’re accusing me of shit you know I would never-”

“Oh, do I?! Because you told me she wasn’t home! But there I was crying to you, while she’s in the other room! You could have saved me so much time and pain and bull shit! Fuck, maybe by now, I would have been better! For fuck’s sake, she heard every word! God, I am so mad at her, even more now!”

“Finally,” Aomine says under his breath.

“No, not ‘finally’, Daiki!  God this whole time,” you pushed your finger against Aomine’s chest with a hiss of each word, with a burn of each tear falling. “This whole time I’ve just been treated like some idiot or laughing stock! You all knew and just kept me in the dark! You three were the only people I trusted my life with! But it fucking turns out you three are the worst to trust! My fiance turns out to be a cheater, my fucking best friend was the one okay with him cheating on me because, oh hey, she’s the one he cheated on me with! And my damn best friend didn’t even tell me! You lied to me, Daiki!”

You push Aomine one last time, with both your hands, before turning to his room. But he wasn’t going to let you escape. He wasn’t going to let you walk out of his life. “____, no! Please, just listen! I just tried to protect you! I didn’t-”

You had been slapping people more and more often. But you never thought you would slap Aomine. “Protect me?!” you seethed through your teeth. “I deserve to know the truth! And the only truth you _wanted_ to tell me was years too late! You’re just selfish for keeping me here! You didn’t even think about telling me about Taiga and Satsuki, I bet! You avoided to because you wanted me here! You’re so selfish, Daiki! All of you are!”

Aomine wasn’t fast enough to beat you to the door. He was still registering what was going on. Even your words. But as the door slammed, it brought him back to reality.

“____, open the door! Come on, open the door!” Aomine demands, pounding on the door.

He did this for hours. Even when his fists became sore or when his neighbors complained, he tried for you. Aomine begged and begged, but all you gave him were your wails. You were heartbroken, but even more now because of him. Fuck, how did it even get this fucked up? He could have sworn Aomine had good intentions. He could have sworn he was doing the right thing. He was in love with you.

Aomine was in love with you, and he just broke your heart.

⦽

The room was dark. Aomine’s eyes had become groggy as they opened. He slept on the couch after you wouldn’t open the door. He picked it up and placed it right side up just to sleep out your cries. It wasn’t that Aomine wanted to avoid it anymore, he was actually tired. Emotionally and physically. His heart was heavy.

Aomine looked to his door in the dark room with a pained smile. There were no more cries. Even hours after you wailed, Aomine could still hear your silenced cries in the silent room he sat in. But now, he heard nothing.

“____,” Aomine called out at the door. No response. The door clicked as Aomine walked in. “____, do you want…”

You weren’t in his bed.

Aomine scanned the room. The lights were off in the bathroom, the bed was made, and a note left on his bed side table. With his heart beating in his damn throat, it suddenly stopped and so did his world.

_Don’t look for me._


	6. How It All Started and Ended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before you came here, you were a bit nervous. When you got out of the taxi, it was a bit hard. Your legs were shaking a bit with each step you took. But you were set on this. You needed your answers before anything else. The deep breath before you knocked helped calm your nerves. And once Kagami opened the door, they suddenly went into nothing.
> 
> Because it hit you. You were still in love with Kagami. Of course you were. You hadn’t seen him for a week, not until the incident a few days ago. It was obvious. Even if you called off the marriage and you were enraged with Kagami and Momoi right now, that didn’t change the fact that you were still in love with him.
> 
> Even if you were furious with him, your love was still there. You longed to hold the man you were in love with. Kagami’s hold on you tightened when your arms wrapped around him as well.
> 
> “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Kagami choked.
> 
> It didn’t make you mad or happy to hear Kagami apologize. In all honesty, it seemed trivial, the whole matter of apologizing. Why do it when it wasn’t going to change the past?

There was nothing Kagami could do to make himself feel better. He tried. He swept up the bloodied, shattered glass pieces but it didn't bring back your warmth. After the doctor, Kagami couldn't ignore what the nurses gossiped in hushed matters.

_ “Another patient came in with glass shards in his wounds. Do you think he’s the one the other man fought? The one with his girlfriend?” _

_ “That wasn’t his girlfriend apparently. Just a friend. And maybe? Do you think they were fighting over her?” _

_ “It's possible. She was gorgeous, but she was a bit out of it. The doctor said she was a bit dazed from prior events. But both patients were fine, so it will work out in one of their favors.” _

The mentioned duo was probably Aomine and you. Kagami and Aomine did have a fight and both were left with cuts pierced into their skin from the shattered glass and bruises worst than the ones back in high school. It made sense you two would come here. It was the closest hospital.

But that didn't excuse Kagami’s bitter feeling.

_ “What does ____-chan have that I don’t?!” _

Kagami winced at Momoi’s words. Aomine had been in love with you. Since when? It didn’t matter to Kagami. All that mattered was he was right. All this time, Aomine was in love with you. Kagami had his suspicions but Aomine always denied. They were friends, there was no reason for Aomine to lie to Kagami. Yet he did. He had been for so long.

And he was keeping you in his protection. So selfish. So fucking selfish of Aomine. He was probably taking advantage of your broken heart right now. Aomine probably found joy in Kagami’s mess up so he could swoop in and take his chance while he still had one. Just the thought made Kagami’s blood boil again, tempting him to throw more furniture around the house.

It also didn't excuse how much Kagami broke your heart.

_ “Stop blaming everyone else for cheating on me, when you cheated on me!” _

Kagami’s calloused hands covered his face as he tried to hide away that reminder. You were right. Kagami was so caught up in Aomine’s feelings, he just went out and blamed Aomine. Burned a hell of a lot to know that. It made Kagami see a whole different side to Aomine and yours’ relationship. One he didn't want to be a reality. But Kagami was still in the wrong.

At least Aomine had his head and heart in check to care for you. He wouldn't need to if Kagami hadn't been such a dumb ass. Even his deep sigh wasn't enough to make him feel a bit better.

_ Knock, knock. _

Kagami didn't hear the knocks at the door at first. He had to look up from his fists that rested atop the empty kitchen table to make sure it wasn't his imagination.

_ Knock, knock. _

It couldn't be you. You had keys to the house. It was your house, of course. But Kagami couldn't help it. With each desperate stride, his hope got bigger. Kagami begged it was you, he wanted it to be you, he needed it to be you.

“____?” Kagami asked. Almost begged as he swung the door open.

Your eyes widened a bit. Your breath got stuck in your throats to see Kagami’s eyes tear. There was such relief in his eyes. His large arms pulled you into him, clinging to you closely.

“____, please wait. Just… Just let me, please?” Kagami pleaded, his cries louder.

He was shaking. Kagami’s body pressed so tightly against yours that you thought you were the one shaking. But it was just him.

Before you came here, you were a bit nervous. When you got out of the taxi, it was a bit hard. Your legs were shaking a bit with each step you took. But you were set on this. You needed your answers before anything else. The deep breath before you knocked helped calm your nerves. And once Kagami opened the door, they suddenly went into nothing.

Because it hit you. You were still in love with Kagami. Of course you were. You hadn’t seen him for a week, not until the incident a few days ago. It was obvious. Even if you called off the marriage and you were enraged with Kagami and Momoi right now, that didn’t change the fact that you were still in love with him.

Even if you were furious with him, your love was still there. You longed to hold the man you were in love with. Kagami’s hold on you tightened when your arms wrapped around him as well.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Kagami choked.

It didn’t make you mad or happy to hear Kagami apologize. In all honesty, it seemed trivial, the whole matter of apologizing. Why do it when it wasn’t going to change the past?

So you said nothing, you just held him closer.

You two stood there awhile longer, just Kagami’s cries audible. It was different between you two. It was nice to hug Kagami after not seeing him for so long, but… It wasn’t the same. You were right. No matter what, now all you could think of was Kagami holding Satsuki the same like this. You were wondering if any of this was still real. It was tiring to get mad anymore, so you didn’t.

“Is Satsuki here?” you asked quietly. Kagami shook his head in the crook of your neck. “Let’s go inside.”

“Are you staying?”

You hesitated. You leaned away from Kagami, staring into his pained eyes. They were so soft and in pain. More tears fell when you shook your head. “I just wanted to know how. I deserve to know that at least, Taiga.”

“...Yeah,” Kagami agreed. He wiped his tears and slowly led you into the house. “You do.”

This was your home and yet it felt nothing like a home. It just felt foreign. All the furniture, the pictures, and rooms… They were the same but as you looked at everything, it didn’t feel the same. Just sitting on the couch you used to lay on with Kagami felt strange. It didn’t feel normal.

Kagami stared at the couch you sat on then to the one next to it. He was trying to decide where to sit.

He flinched to hear you chuckle. “It’s already weird, Taiga. Just… Just come here.”

“Okay,” he said. Kagami sat on the cushion next to yours, his hands intertwining another with his elbows to his knees. “I… I’m not in love with Satsuki.”

“I know,” you whispered.

“I’m in love with you, ____,” Kagami said more firmly.

“I know,” you agreed. It may have been misleading to smile a little. Kagami smiled almost immediately after you did, as if there was some hope. But you didn’t come here to get back together. You just wanted answers. So you took your smile away. “So why did it happen?”

It didn’t shatter your heart to see Kagami become disappointed. Like he was getting slammed into concrete. That was just reality for him now. There wasn’t a heart left for him to shatter.

“Right,” Kagami reminded himself. “It was that night, when Kuroko wanted to have dinner with Momoi and me. He needed help, I guess giving us a wedding present.”

“He needed you there to pick out a wedding present for us?” it was hard not to laugh. It sounded perfectly like Kuroko.

“Yeah,” Kagami laughed wryly. “Really sounds like Kuroko, huh?”

⦽

“What, a wedding present?”

“Yes, a wedding present,”

Kagami just frowned to see that Kuroko was totally serious. He went to a bar to talk about this?

“Aw, Tetsu-kun, you didn’t need to call Kagamin. I’m all the help you need!” Momoi beamed as she wrapped her arms around Kuroko’s.

_ Kind of hard not to agree with her. _

“You’re hurting me, Momoi,” Kuroko frowned. That never stopped her though. “I called Kagami because I want to get him a gift that will please him and please ____-san just as much. That’s why I called Momoi here as well. Since her and ____-san are childhood friends, she was best to call.”

“You know, I am going to be her husband,” Kagami laughed.

“Yes, but best friends know their best friends better than their fiance’s do. And since they have been best friends since they were small, it seemed best,” Kuroko informed right before taking a sip of his beer.

Kagami couldn’t help but sigh pleasantly. This really was Kuroko’s nature. As Kagami watched Kuroko try to pry off Momoi, he couldn’t help but realize this was Momoi as well. She always chased after Kuroko, even after years of rejection. Kagami took a chug of his beer, mentally wishing Momoi some luck.

“Wait, why didn’t you call Aomine?” Kagami realized.

“Ah, why ask him for a good present for you when I could just ask you?” Kuroko tilted his head. “And anyway, too many opinions may confuse me. You two seemed best for this kind of thing.”

“Oh who cares about Dai-chan, let’s just figure out a gift!” Momoi whined.

“I would think you would want to bring Aomine, Momoi. You guys are always together,” Kagami snickered.

“We are always together. We live together!” Momoi sighed. “It's a lot to handle sometimes. He’s a lot.”

Kuroko and Kagami met eyes awkwardly. Momoi would usually pout and whine. Even though she was latched into Kuroko, she looked down, as if this all troubled her. As if Aomine troubled her.

“Well, if anyone can handle him better than anyone, it's you. But even then, you’ll need a break from that guy,” Kagami declared happily.

His smile was too happy for Momoi. But she tried a smile, appreciating Kagami’s efforts. He was nicer than Aomine, and more fit for you than Aomine was. You two were getting married, that was all the proof she needed to support that.

Still her heart felt heavy with the thought of Aomine and his true feelings. Feelings Kagami nor you knew about.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Momoi shook her head with a smile. She grabbed her beer and chugged half of it down with no problem. “Now, wedding presents!”

“Yeah!” Kuroko and Kagami cheered, holding a glass up with Momoi.

The night carried on. With each gift thrown out into the open air, more cups of drinks were consumed. They transitioned from light beers, mixed drinks, then shots. Momoi suggested each different cup. Something like the alcohol would make it easier to find a gift that’s perfect for Kagami and you. One gift was too much more suited than Kagami than the both of you. Another gift was more suited as a gift for someone single (Kagami didn’t know why Momoi would even suggest a toy like that...) than someone getting married. The night was trailing away from the reason all three had met up, but Kagami was having fun. It was nice. Discussing wedding presents that his friends were trying to find him just made him more excited for the wedding. It made him more excited to spend the rest of his life with you.

The next thing Kagami knew, it was past midnight and they were the last of few people in the bar.

“Aomine did say ____-san would like something like this?” Kuroko slurred as he pulled up an image of a kitchen set.

“Oh,” Kagami trailed off.  _ That? A wedding present? Feels more like a house warming present rather than a wedding present. _

“I said who cares about Dai-chan, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Momoi grunted.

Kuroko and Kagami turned to Momoi as she downed another shot of alcohol. They looked at the bar and realized she ordered a shot just for herself. The two weren’t really complaining, they were pretty drunk as it is. But friends take shots together. Wasn’t that the adult rule?

“Did you and Aomine have a fight again, Momoi?” Kuroko chuckled. His small laugh trailed off when Momoi didn't answer or argue back. “Momoi, what did he do?”

Kagami stared at Momoi, trying to find an answer all his own. His vision was getting a bit wobbly. It was hard to focus on Momoi, but he could tell she was annoyed with the mention of him.

“What was that, Momoi?” Kagami asked.

“I said…” she exhaled deeply. “Nothing. Dai-chan is just… Dai-chan.”

“She also said you’re too much like him right now,” Kuroko added.

“Tetsu-kun!” Momoi cried, trying to grab his arm.

She launched herself too forward and too fast, causing herself to almost fall off the chair. Kuroko tried to grab her but as her body slipped past his hands, Kagami caught her in his. It must be the alcohol to make Momoi become this flustered, because never in a million years would Momoi lean so willingly and dependently onto Kagami, especially into his chest. Kagami tried to get words out, but his mind was too focused on Momoi’s shaking. Was she cold?

“Momoi, are you okay?” Kuroko slurred.

Kuroko was drunk. He didn’t realize, and neither would have Kagami if he didn’t look up, until Kuroko tried to stand and lost his balance. He tried to grab onto the table, only to miss and barely grab onto another high chair beside him.

“Woah, Kuroko. I think it’s time we all go home,” Kagami suggested. He was surprised how well he was talking, or well… Seemed to be talking. It felt normal out his mouth, but nothing in his head felt normal. The room was spinning more and more and his eyes began to lower. Kagami held onto Momoi tighter, afraid she was going to fall out his arms.

“Y-You’re right, Kagami,” Kuroko hiccuped. “I think I’ll take a cab home. Text me when you get home, okay?”

Kagami nodded slowly. “I’ll take Momoi home. ____ will probably be able to take care of us or I’ll call Aomine.”

Momoi flinched. Kagami looked down at her confused. Was he imagining it or did she really flinch?

“I…” Momoi tried. She was breathing out louder than before. It was probably hot for her, seeing how drunk she was.

“You…?” Kuroko asked. Kagami tried to see if Kuroko noticed the way Momoi held onto him tighter or pushed her body against his more. If he did, Kuroko said nothing.

“I need to throw up,” Momoi shot up as she declared. Without another word she looked into Kagami’s eyes, slapping a hand over her mouth. “Help,”

Swiftly, Kagami aided Momoi to the bathroom, waving Kuroko away. Kuroko didn’t need any other message to know to leave. Momoi was a treasured friend, but Kagami knew best 

Kuroko would make the situation worse. Especially after Kagami and you had announced the engagement. The night ended with Kise in the hospital because Kuroko thought more alcohol would help his hangover. Something about Irish people drink coffee in their alcohol, so it made sense? Kagami chose not to relive those moments.

“Momoi, hey, Momoi. I opened the door for you, c’mon,” Kagami panted.

Kagami and Momoi stood in the doorway of the unaccompanied hallway, her back hunched over, all her weight against Kagami. Kagami’s back was fully planted against the door frame of the unisex bathroom. He would look every now and then for anyone, preferably another female, to help. Kagami didn’t know the basics to helping a drunk person, let alone a female drunk person. Momoi was usually the one helping the drunk people at parties. She wouldn’t really get drunk like right now. Females knew what other females appreciated better, and right now Kagami just felt like the biggest idiot not knowing what to do for Momoi. Helping another drunk person walk was a journey all its own. It was also a new exercise. Kagami hadn’t been this tired since high school basketball practices.

Momoi shook her head. “Help,”

“I-I’m not going into-”

“You sound just like him,”

“Huh?”

“So angry, but I know you care. He’ll always say no to me and yet I’ll always want him.”

“Momoi, Kuroko is-”

Suddenly, Kagami was against the shut door of the bathroom with Momoi’s lips against his. Not even a second passed before she pressed her lips against his neck and a hand on the hem of his jeans.

“M-Momoi, what the fuck-!”

But her lips were there again. Even as Kagami pushed her away, her lips found another tasteful spot to try. One hand had its finger looped on Kagami’s belt loop as the other slid into his shirt, feeling the contours of his muscles. Swiftly, Momoi’s teeth bit into Kagami’s neck, making such a beautiful bruise and a bitter groan leave his lips.

This wasn’t Momoi. Not once had she ever shown an interest in Kagami, nor had he. And even as he pushed her, wobbly in the head, his eyes caught how intense hers were.

It was like she didn’t see Kagami. Momoi wasn't thinking nor did she have a care. It was horrible for Kagami to realize, but neither did he. The stare she had as she tasted his skin reminded him of yours when you two first craved each other so badly. Now, it wasn’t the same. Not like that. Kagami knew it wasn’t when Kagami’s lips wrapped around his hard length.

It had been years since his was like this. Momoi’s eyes looked up to Kagami and he saw your burning eyes from before, and then your eyes now. They weren’t the same. Your look now didn’t burn his soul like it did then. Or now.

As Kagami’s heavy mind focused on Momoi slipping her shirt over her head, he became lost in it. In the memories of before and the new memories that blinded him now.

He was so blinded that he drowned out his conscious and touched where Momoi begged for Aomine. Kagami didn't know whether she was too drunk to know what name she just called out or whether she was too drunk to care what Kagami thought he heard. Neither of them cared for anything.

The alcohol brought back a you Kagami didn’t realize he missed so much and it disguised Kagami as the man Momoi would rather have him be.

⦽

The pool of tears overflowed in your hands and swam down your arms as Kagami finished the story. It felt like time stopped, and for once, you wanted it to keep going. You wanted this to pass, you wanted this story to be a thing of the far past, and you wanted time to heal your shattered heart now. Because this? No one should feel this type of pain.

You brushed your hair out your face as you looked to the side. It was hard. To breathe, to look at Kagami, it was hard to sit here and listen to something you never thought could happen.

But you needed this.

Slowly, your eyes turned to Kagami. He didn't want to meet you. Better said, he couldn't. And you couldn't say a word. What could you? There wasn't much left to say. So you waited for Kagami to say something.

And if there wasn't anything left for him to say, there was only one thing left for you to do. What you needed to do.

“____,” Kagami whispered. His voice was tired, a little scared as well.

Your lips hummed. It was too weak to say a word.

“It really… I’m sorry,” Kagami breathed. “I really am sorry.”

You were a firm believer that people could own up to their mistakes. That truly apologizing could turn things around or give closure and resolve to the situation. But now, you didn't have much faith in that moral.

Because you couldn't say “It’s okay” or “It’s fine”. Because none of this was. You honestly couldn't say “Thank you” because you didn't feel appreciative of this. You weren't thankful at all for this story, because you deserve to know what happened.

You cupped Kagami’s warm cheek, feeling his tear run along your skin. Finally his eyes met yours and you tried a smile. Even you knew what a sad smile you had on your face.

“I have to go now, Taiga,” you said quietly.

Kagami shook his head, his teeth clenched tightly together. “____, please. It won't happen again. Anything, I’ll do  _ anything _ . Just, please don't leave. I love you. I love you so much, ____.”

“Taiga, I can’t. I really can’t,” you dropped your hand as you cried.

“____, we can get past this,” Kagami argued as he held your shoulders tightly. “You and me, we’ll work together. I’ll work on me, and-”

“Taiga, listen to yourself,” you cried. There was no point in wiping your tears anymore. Not when they were going to keep falling and falling.

“I am! I am and-”

“I said yes to you, because I thought we were settled,” you started. Kagami softened, confused. “I thought we knew exactly what we wanted and no matter what, nothing would falter what we were in love with and shit. But one night, one drunk night with my heartbroken best friend… And it changes everything for you. For us.”

Kagami clicked his tongue. “But-”

“But nothing, Taiga! Your apology doesn't remotely amount to the “I don’t want you” I am feeling!”

“I do want you! You’re the only one I ever wanted!”

“No!” you broke out of his hold and stood from the couch. You swiftly turned and pointed to yourself. “You don't want the person I am now! You want the person you first fell in love with, you were more in love with the person I was when we were first falling in love with than the me I am now!”

“What?! No! I want you for who you are because you know me now! You know me better than anyone ever does or will, and I know you better than I have before!”

“That’s not what you were saying when you told me what happened! While Momoi’s sucking your dick, all you could think of was when we were young and crazy in love!” you spat. Kagami flinched at the words. “Yes, Taiga! You know it's true and I know it's true! It's the truth!”

“But it's not! I love you! I love you for who you are!”

“Yes,” you cried tiredly. You cried tiredly and broken. “And I love you, Taiga. But the difference is, I love you and was going to love you for the differences you were going to have. Taiga, we were going to grow old together. And that meant continuing to love each other even when we were going to change. Just a little bit.”

“And this is change,” Kagami bawled. He held wrapped his arms around you, begging.

You shook your head and pushed him slightly to make him see. Make him see you. “This isn't a little change. Me being comfortable is little change. I wasn't always going to be crazy and young like we first were when we dated. Cheating on me? With my best friend? That’s not change, Taiga. And it most definitely isn’t love.”

Kagami’s mouth opened and closed as he tried for words. Nothing seemed right.  _ But I love you. _ It was true, but doing this? It didn't seem like it. His words didn't match his feelings, not in the slightest.  _ But we can work this out. _ What if it doesn't though? Through trial and error, what if it doesn't work out?  _ i need you.  _ If that were true, Kagami wouldn't have done the stupidest thing to have you walk out his life.

“I… I still want you in my life,” Kagami cried.

Kagami cupped your face in his hands, his broken heart on his sleeves. He was scared. You were all he knew these past years. After basketball, after everyone drifted their ways, and after finding a path for himself, you were all Kagami knew. He didn't want you out his life.

“I…” This was hard. You hugged Kagami, burying your face in his chest. “I don't want to start a marriage learning how to trust again. I don't want that at all.”

Kagami bit his lip, quivering. “Would you take me if I was Aomine?”

Your eyes widened and you darted back. “You don't get to say that. As if-!”

“But would you?! If I were Aomine, would you have-”

“Taiga, I was going to marry you! Just because I just found out Daiki was in love with me doesn't change my feelings! I'm still in love with you but Daiki’s feelings just makes this more complicated! You can't use his feelings as some leverage against me! And you definitely can't use them to make a point! You use them as if I was the one who cheated!”

“Yeah, but-!”

“But nothing!”

“No! I fucked up, but you being with Aomine these past days-!”

“Is something he was supposed to do as my best friend! Be there for me when I need him!”

“And yet he’s in love with you! I don’t want you to go falling in love with him!” Kagami roared. A vein grew in the middle of his forehead and his tears became as powerful as a tsunami.

“I can’t even think about that! I can’t even think about relationships when I have to end this one! So you can't think of new ones for me either, it doesn't work that way!”

“But if you fall in love with him, then your feelings for me were for nothing! As if I was nothing!”

“Like I’m nothing to you?! If you can sleep with Momoi in a bar bathroom, then screw how you felt for me then, right Taiga?!” you shot back.

And it hits Kagami. It hits him harder than a basketball to the face. It hits him harder than the possibility of you saying “no” when he got down one knee for you. It hits Kagami hard and fast.

Kagami was the biggest jerk in the world. Because what he feared, the feelings of betrayal and heartache, was possible. And he never wanted to feel that with you. But there Kagami stood, finally realizing that was what he gave you. He was scared of losing you when he already lost you. Kagami had already failed you as a husband to be when it isn't hard to.

Kagami never wanted you to feel like that. He especially didn't want him to be the reason you felt those things. Yet he was.

“Taiga,” you sighed. He met your eyes, and you could see. The truest apology he could ever give you. You rubbed his cheek with your thumb with the most pained smile Kagami had ever seen. “I can’t be with you after this. Even if I’m in love with you. I can’t do that to me.”

He nodded. “Okay… Okay.”

“I have to go now,” you whispered.

You took Kagami’s crying face into your hands, kissing his forehead for the last time as a lover. His shaky hands grasped yours, his cries hissing.

Kagami’s face went cold as you let go and took a few steps toward the front door. This is what needed to happen. This was the only choice.

“____,” Kagami called out, just before you made the door. You turned to him, your tears silently falling right after the other. “Will I see you again?”

Your heart answered that before you could. “Of course. Not soon, but we’ll see each other again, Taiga.”

You swiftly turned and walked out the door.

_ Don’t look back. _ You shouldn't. You can't. Your heart was so weak and needed to be mended. But you truly knew, going back into the arms you loved wasn't going to mend anything. It would just hurt you more and more.

_ Don't think about him crying.  _ Kagami was such an ugly crier. He never cried, and because you rarely saw that, it was ugly. But dammit, if you didn't love that face and want to make it stop…

_ Just keep walking. _ Your legs couldn't though. You were blocks away from that broken home. And as soon as you knew it, your legs shook and fell to the concrete. You held your arms, cradling your heart. It didn't matter who heard your cries. You were too broken to care.

A hand touched your back, causing you to flinch to the person.

“Oi, are you okay?”

Your eyes widened to see Aomine. But you blinked your tears away to find an elderly man. He was a heavier built than Aomine, and it was confusing. Why was Aomine there when he clearly wasn't?

You shook your head and hunched over, wailing into your arms.

⦽

Kuroko and Momoi sat side by side on the couch in silence as the television played noise. Kuroko had been surfing through channels, finding something with both his and Momoi’s liking. Or something like that. He just wanted to do something rather than becoming more and more conscious of Momoi’s face. She had been crying. It was obvious from the redness under her eyes. It was more obvious when she stood at his door, quiet as a sleeping person. Even when he asked her what was wrong, she only replied with her breathing.

It was safe to guess who was the cause of Momoi’s mood. There were only three likely candidates. You, Aomine, or Kagami. Kagami usually wouldn't be a factor, it was always either you or Aomine. But Kuroko’s not dumb. He heard what Momoi said.

_ “Nothing. Dai-chan is just… Dai-chan.” _

_ “She also said you’re too much like him right now,” _

The way she looked at Kagami the whole night made Kuroko… Curious? Or just observant like always. He just took notice to Momoi’s different behavior. Besides Kagami, it was either you or Aomine. You were such a factor in Momoi’s life, childhood best friends would do that to you, that Momoi would put you before herself. Whenever you were stressed, it would effect Momoi as well. She just wanted you happy, so happy she would forget her own feelings. That only left Aomine, and anything with him could trigger a mood for Momoi. Something big though. She handled Aomine the most and she would only get down like this when they would fight over something drastically big. Not that anyone would know what it was. But when either two acted this different, everyone would just know it’s “that” fight.

“Momoi, would you like something from my fridge?” Kuroko asked, his eyes not wavering from the television.

She shook her head. Momoi hugged her knees tighter to her chest but it didn't help it from feeling like it was going to explode.

After everything that happened, Kagami didn't question Momoi when she grabbed her things and left. She didn't want to ask about him either. This was their fault. This was all her fault. Kagami didn't need to get dragged into her emotional bull shit, yet she still went for it. Momoi deserved that slap.

Momoi deserved everything she got. The slap. The look Aomine gave her. This pit in her stomach that made her want to throw up. She deserved all of it.

Knock. Knock.

Kuroko shifted to the sound at his front door. He looked to Momoi with nothing much to expect.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” Momoi said nothing. “Excuse me.”

Several minutes passed. Momoi wasn’t counting. All she was thinking about was the way her world was crashing down because of what a selfish idiot she had become. Momoi felt the regret burn in her skin and reside in the very atoms of her bones. It was what she deserved.

Footsteps began to patter from behind then stopped beside the couch. Momoi didn’t want to budge… Not until she felt a presence. Her tears wouldn’t stop silently falling at the sight of you.

“We need to talk, Satsuki,” you announced.


	7. There's Cheaters, Liars, and Runaways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, Daiki?” His lips hummed as he changed the channel. “How about this?”
> 
> “What?” Aomine turned to you, an eyebrow raised.
> 
> “I won't make every game, which sucks,” you started. When Aomine frowned, you bumped your shoulder against his with a bright smile. “But I’ll always stay with you. You’ll never have to worry about me leaving, okay?”
> 
> His eyes glistened to that. And his ears burned, also his cheeks.
> 
> “Always? That sounds kinda…” Aomine averts his eyes and shrugs. “You mean it?”
> 
> “Yeah! I mean, we’ve been best friends all this time. You, me, and Satsuki! Always being with you isn't bad, so why not always?” you praised.
> 
> It was true. Aomine and Momoi were the only friends you had that lasted this long. You never complained though. How could you? They were your best friends.
> 
> “You better keep your promise, then, ____,” Aomine mumbled, holding his pinky up.
> 
> Your eyes stared widely at his finger, then looked to Aomine. Your pinky finger wrapped around his as you nodded with a laugh.
> 
> “Promise for always!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else feeling this fic coming to an end? ಥ‿ಥ

_ After Aomine’s parents celebrated his win with a feast, he lounged on the couch alone, surfing the television with a pout. Whenever his parents came into the living room, a sudden smile would appear. But as soon as they would leave, so would his smile. It would be embarrassing to admit his bad mood would be because of you. _

_ Suddenly, his front door was met with a knock. Aomine knows the rules, let one of his parents answer the door since he is too young to talk to adults. He didn’t move a muscle when his mother went to the door. It was until he heard a familiar voice converse with his mother. As the mothers continued to talk, Aomine looked up to the small footsteps coming into the living room. You stood there with a big, stuffed plastic bag and a shy smile. _

_ Your smile became a frown once Aomine returned his attention to the television. _

_ “Daiki, is that any way to treat ____-chan?” Aomine’s mother frowned as she grabbed the bag of food from your hands. His mother could see your eyes beginning to water when Aomine didn’t move again. Aomine’s mother sighed and headed into the kitchen. “She came here to make up for missing your game, don’t be rude, honey. ____-chan, don’t cry. Daiki just missed you that’s all.” _

_ “A-As if!” Aomine stuttered as he shot up from the couch. _

_ You were shocked to see his attitude change a complete 180°. Just as your eyes met, you couldn’t help to chuckle as he pouted with pink cheeks. _

_ You sat next to the other eleven year old with a smile and beaming eyes. “I’m sorry I missed your game.” _

_ “...It’s whatever,” Aomine shrugged. But that’s all it took for you to scoot closer and beam a smile so widely. _

_ When your shoulders bumped together, it was instinct to look at you. Man, was he glad he could see that smile. His stupid disappointments disappeared. How could it not? Your smile was too contagious and cool to not smile as well. _

_ “So, what was in the bag?” Aomine asked. _

_ “Mom got your favorites for me!” you answered as you sat back onto the couch more relaxed. In the background, you two could hear Aomine’s mother chuckling as she took the food from the plastic bag and into the fridge. _

_ “My favorites?” Aomine was the one beaming now. _

_ You nodded proudly. “I had to bribe her to get six teriyaki burgers instead of five, you dummy. But she got you those candies we like! The sour one! And then the bar-be-que chips from the convenient store down the street.” _

_ “And you guys can only eat one or the other,” Aomine’s mother ordered, holding the candy and bag of chips in both hands. “So choose which one you two want to share.” _

_ All it took was a second of both your eyes to meet. The next second you two smiled widely at Aomine’s mother. “Sour candy!” _

_ “Alright, here you go, honey,” Aomine’s mother laughed as she handed you the candy. Before Aomine’s mother left to her room, she smiled at you. “____, your Mom said she’ll come back in a few hours to get you!” _

_ “Okay, Auntie!” Aomine’s mother’s smile and her disappeared behind the wall as she went to her room. You turned to Aomine as ate a few piece of sour candies. “I’m really sorry I missed your game, Daiki. My family thing didn’t end until your game was way done!” _

_ “It’s fine. At least I got teriyaki burgers out of it for later,” Aomine beamed, offering the bag to you. As you took a piece of candy, you frowned to see Aomine pout. “It did suck not seeing you there though.” _

_ “Satsuki was there!” _

_ “Yeah, but it’d be cool if you were there too,” Aomine shrugged. He ate another piece of candy, half a smile and half a frown on his face. There were only a few pieces left. Three from what it looked like. _

_ “Hey, Daiki?” His lips hummed as he changed the channel. “How about this?” _

_ “What?” Aomine turned to you, an eyebrow raised. _

_ “I won't make every game, which sucks,” you started. When Aomine frowned, you bumped your shoulder against his with a bright smile. “But I’ll always stay with you. You’ll never have to worry about me leaving, okay?” _

_ His eyes glistened to that. And his ears burned, also his cheeks. _

_ “Always? That sounds kinda…” Aomine averts his eyes and shrugs. “You mean it?” _

_ “Yeah! I mean, we’ve been best friends all this time. You, me, and Satsuki! Always being with you isn't bad, so why not always?” you praised. _

_ It was true. Aomine and Momoi were the only friends you had that lasted this long. You never complained though. How could you? They were your best friends. _

_ “You better keep your promise, then, ____,” Aomine mumbled, holding his pinky up. _

_ Your eyes stared widely at his finger, then looked to Aomine. Your pinky finger wrapped around his as you nodded with a laugh. _

_ “Promise for always!” _

_ Just then the doorbell rang and Aomine snatched his pinky back with red cheeks. Before you could say a word, Aomine turned and yelled toward his parents room. “Mom! Dad! The front door rang!” _

_ In a blink of an eye, Aomine’s mother opened the door and welcomed Momoi into the room. _

_ “Satsuki!” you cheered, throwing your arms around her arms. _

_ “____, I knew you’d be here! Did Dai-chan tell you about the game?!” Momoi asked excitedly. _

_ “Not yet, come on the couch!” you said, bringing her to the couch anyway. _

_ “Hey Satsuki,” Aomine greeted with a smile and one of the last candies in his hand. He held out the bag to you two. “Want candy? Sorry, there’s only two left.” _

_ “Sure! ____, want the other one?” Momoi offered as she grabbed her piece. _

_ “Okay!” you beamed, taking the last piece. As you all ate your pieces of candy, you looked to both of your best friends. “I’m happy you’re here, Satsuki.” _

_ “Me too! I missed you at the game! It wasn't as fun cheering for Dai-chan without you,” Momoi frowned. “So did Dai-chan tell you? He made a three pointer!” _

_ “Really?!” _

_ Aomine blushed to both his best friends praising him. It was nice. It was nice all three of you were here together. In all honesty, he didn't want these times to end. He wanted to keep playing basketball with you and Momoi in the stands cheering for him. _

_ Momoi held hands with you as you both cheered for Aomine, as if you were there. Momoi loved you. You weren't a sister, you were a part of Momoi. Half of her that she couldn't live without. You were her and she was you. It made Momoi happy, undeniably happy. _

_ And you? You made your promise to Aomine. Momoi was a part of you and you a part of her. Things would be different, you three would grow. But growing apart was never a thing possible between you three. _

⦽

Aomine stared at the pictures from that day. It was the beginning of his basketball skills outshining everyone he played with. Seeing this picture made Aomine realize how far he had gone and how much you stayed along his side.

You brought some camera and wanted a picture with Aomine, to celebrate his win. “Memories are good to make, that’s what Mom said! So let’s take a picture!” Aomine never thought he would be thankful to take pictures with you. If you never wanted to take pictures so much, he wouldn't have this photo album.

It was his safe place. It was you. The you you used to be, are, and will show to be. Just you in every picture, you and Aomine. There were a few pictures with Momoi in them, but there were so many pictures of you, Momoi wasn't minded that much in this photo album. If Momoi or you knew he had this, there would be an argument. Momoi would be jealous and you would have to hold back Aomine from yelling back.

It was best to keep this photo album from everyone. And Aomine really didn't want for anyone to know about it because… It showed all of you and then memories Aomine and you had shared. It was almost all the times Aomine had fallen in love with you hard and irreversibly. If anyone were to see it, they would just know how much Aomine was in love with you.

Aomine flipped to the next page and chuckled. It was you wearing his Too Academy basketball jersey, holding up a peace sign and a bright smile. You actually moved houses around the time high school started and you went to Shutoku. Aomine would never admit how jealous he was of Midorima being able to see you everyday. He definitely didn't admit how jealous he was when you told him Takao took you on a date. But going to a different school and having different friends didn't stop you from keeping your promise. The day of this picture was after Aomine received the jersey for the first time. You were actually the first one to wear it, before him. He thought it was stupid you wanted to take a picture in it just to make a joke to Midorima. But he enjoyed it, really. You wearing his jersey, telling Midorima that your best friend would beat your own school. There was no way Aomine couldn't keep this picture to himself.

The next pages Aomine skipped over on purpose. He wanted to see his favorite picture, and the picture that hurts him the most. He was running with you on his back, away from Kagami because you two decided to prank him. While he fell asleep at the beach after a tiring week of basketball practice, Aomine and you decided to leave sunblock on his face in the shape of glasses. It was funny, until the tan stayed for two weeks. Kagami had played three different teams with that ridiculous tan. It took awhile for him to forgive you and Aomine.

The picture was one of the best memories, and it was bitter. In the picture, Aomine couldn’t help but look at this with reversed roles. Aomine looked like your lover and Kagami was the childhood best friend. Whenever he looked at this picture, Aomine couldn’t help but want both roles. Because Kagami would never know what it was to grow up with you, he could never take that away from Aomine. If Kagami could have you as a lover, then he wasn’t allowed to take your childhood friendship away. Aomine wouldn’t allow it.

Just thinking about the bitterness left a taste of disgust in Aomine’s mouth. He threw the photo album across the room with a grunt.

This was the worst fight you two ever had. The worst fight either of you had. It was driving Aomine insane. He’s actually afraid.

Aomine fears this is the time you won’t be keeping your promise. Through all the fights, Aomine never doubted you. But this was the first time he felt the anxiety of the promise becoming broken. He doesn’t want to know what his world would be without you in it. You need time, you need space, after this entire fight Aomine knows that best. He knows you. So it scares him that he’s actually scared you would break your promise.

Suddenly, the front door opens. It’s Momoi, Aomine doesn’t have to look just to make sure. Whether you talked to Momoi before or after Kagami determines when he’ll see you again. Either way, he knows it won’t be any time. No, it’s not his turn to talk with you. Right now, Aomine and Momoi need to talk.

Aomine exits his room to find Momoi leaning against the front door, dazed. Momoi slowly meets Aomine’s eyes and it’s like she suddenly remembers she’s actually there in her own apartment. The apartment she shares with Aomine, the man she’s in love with. And the man she has most likely broken. Just the thought brings her eyes to water. Momoi’s legs shake and she slides down the door, sitting with quiet tears falling.

“You guys finished talking, huh?” Aomine huffed. Momoi didn’t reply. “Does ____ finally realize how fucked up you are?”

Momoi says nothing. She just cups her eyes, trying to catch her tears. Aomine’s over getting mad. It’s gotten him someplace he really didn’t want to be. With a lot of people. He fought Kagami, caused you to leave, and Momoi and his friendship had become as broken as the glass shards that were in Kagami and Aomine’s skin. Aomine wanted everything to be over, he just wanted you to come back.

“I’m still pissed at you, Satsuki,” Aomine begins. “You fucked over ____ for the stupidest reason. I don’t care how much you’re in love with me, it wasn’t cool to do. Even if this was another girl I’d just happen to be dating or some shit, it wouldn’t be cool. I’d still be mad. But because it’s ____ and Kagami, I don’t know if I can forgive you. I honestly don’t.”

Momoi cries a bit louder. Nothing ear shattering, not too quiet like earlier. Just a bit louder. It doesn’t stop Aomine from saying all the things he needs to say. Momoi doesn’t stop him because she needs to hear it also.

“I know ____ wants you to be okay. We both know how she is, and I know she wants me to be the one to check on you. And I will, just for her. Until you’re better, I won’t decide if I want to stay in this apartment longer. I won’t decide that until then.”

_ Who's going to check on you to be better? _ Momoi’s voice is audible now as she cries. She’s wiping her tears and moving the hair out of her face. Aomine could see her legs still shaking, even as she’s sitting on the ground. Momoi brings her head to her knees and cries into herself.

“Satsuki, just go to your room. It’s not going to do anything for you to just cry in our front door. If ____ needs me and you’re still there, I won’t hesitate to move you out the door,” Aomine warns. It’s really a growl. He meant to be nicer, but he can’t help but assume Momoi would still try to stop him.

What shocks Aomine is Momoi’s eyes finally meet his. And they’re sad. But not because of him, he can tell. It’s as if… She’s been crying for something else this whole time.

“Satsuki, what-”

Momoi stands up, wiping her tears. “Dai-chan… Dai-chan…”

She’s not reaching out for him, like she usually does. Momoi’s having trouble on finding the words to say. On how to say  _ this _ , whatever it was.

“Satsuki, what? What’s going on?” Aomine asks, a bit scared. He can feel his body quiver. It’s his anxiety. Aomine’s getting too nervous and scared to keep still.

“Dai-chan…,” Momoi shook her head slowly. “I tried, I really tried, Dai-chan.”

“What happened? What aren’t you telling me?” Aomine shouts, his hands on her shoulders. He shakes her a bit, trying to get more than just tears out of Momoi. But just seeing the mortified look in Momoi’s eyes, Aomine can’t help but panic. “Oi, spit it out! Satsuki, what the fuck happened?!”

She’s silent. And then Momoi finally let’s out her wails loudly and shamelessly. “She’s already on her way to the airport.”

The second the words leave Momoi’s lips, her heartbreak doesn’t amount the how much pain Aomine was in. She could see it in Aomine’s widens eyes. She feels it when he runs past her and out the door. Aomine’s heart shatters into the tiniest pieces that Momoi doesn't even think about fixing it. Because it doesn't even look like shards of a broken heart. They just look like atoms of diamonds and crystals. Shining, bright, but Momoi can't pick up Aomine’s heart.

This was nothing to what Momoi wanted. This whole situation made Momoi forget what she even wanted. All she could do was fall to her knees and wail into the apartment floor, regretting her own existence. When all of this started, Momoi knew she was just angry. Now, Momoi didn't even know what day it was. In fact, she didn't fucking care. Momoi could only think about how bad she messed up her friendships.

There was never a chance in anyone’s life that Momoi wanted you to leave, especially leave her behind. You were her and she was you. Without you, Momoi didn't know who she was.

But the biggest thing Momoi could feel in her blood was this: She was the reason Aomine was heartbroken, when he didn't do anything to deserve any of this bull shit.

You leaving because of Momoi? It was burning her skin and made her want to pull her hair out. You calling off the wedding because Momoi was the reason? Momoi wouldn't go to the wedding. Hell, she shouldn't. She could handle that. It was what she deserved. It was what Kagami deserved too, since he took part in it all. Neither of them deserved the amazing human being they knew you completely were.

But Momoi being the reason Aomine would lose you? When he carried you, held you together, did absolutely nothing wrong to have you leave  _ him _ behind? Momoi be the reason the woman Aomine was completely and interchangeably in love with abandon him?

Momoi was finally regretting every decision that led her to this bitter end for everyone.

She didn't even want to think about what would happen after everything. If Aomine would come back. If Kagami and Aomine would be friends. If you would even come back home.

All Momoi could think about was wanting to get past this lifetime. She wanted all the pain, misery, and regret to leave her body, mind, and spirit.

⦽

Aomine’s speedometer was way past the legal speed limit. But he didn't care, it felt normal. His heart was pounding against his rib cage as much as the car’s engine roared as he sped past another car.

“She’s already on her way to the airport,”

Where were you even going? Why won't you just stay with Aomine? You're leaving him behind because he didn't tell you about the first day? If that was the case, Aomine would have told you the second he picked you up. He would have, really. But seeing you like that, when he picked you up? It took more than everything for Aomine to not smash his lips against yours and prove what a better man he would be for you than anyone else.

Aomine’s mind was racing faster than his car was going. His knuckles became white as he tightened its grip on the steering wheel. There were so many things Aomine wish was happening instead of this. But his biggest fear was becoming reality. You weren't thinking about the promise at all. You were breaking it.

_ Ring. Ring. Ring. _

Aomine answers without thought. He just knows. “____, where the hell are you going?!”

“Daiki,” you reply. It's simple, too simple for Aomine’s frantic heart to process.

“Don't just say my name like this is okay! Where the hell are you-”

“Daiki, just listen to me, okay?”

“What? No! Just talk to me here, don't leave!”

“I’m almost at the airport, Daiki. I have to leave,”

Aomine grinds his teeth. He doesn't realize the burning in his eyes is him trying to hold back tears. “No! You don't have to leave! Where would you even go?! You can just stay with-”

“America,” you interject with a shaky voice.

Aomine almost drops his phone. “America?” he hisses. “Why there?! What the hell?! When the fuck did you even buy a ticket?! You don't need to leave, ____!”

_ Please, don’t leave me! _

“I bought the ticket before I left your apartment,” you informed dryly. You fought back tears better this time. You were getting used to it. “Daiki, I can't stay. I can't stay with you either. No matter how much I want to.”

“If you want to stay with me, then just do it!” If this was a different situation, a different time, Aomine would kiss you after hearing these words. Instead, he’s speeding down the highway with a frantic, panicked heart and tears ready to fall. “You don't have to leave! You can't just run away!”

“Daiki, I do have to leave. You know I can't stay,” you answered calmly. It was the opposite of how your heart felt. Will your heart ever heal? Especially without Aomine?

“Why?! Because of all this?! Because I didn’t tell you?! If that’s the whole fucking reason, then-”

“Daiki, I’m sorry,” you interrupted. He was actually mad you chuckled. “You did nothing wrong. You never do anything wrong to me. You always just take care of me, and I’m sorry I took my anger out on you. You didn't deserve that, Daiki. And I’m really sorry about this.”

“If you are then just stay!”  _ Stay with me. Don’t leave me. Please, don’t fucking leave me. _ “Where are you?!”

“I just got to the airport, Daiki. And my flight leaves in thirty minutes,” you answered. In the back, Aomine could hear a car door close. He stepped on the gas pedal harder, speeding past three cars. “Daiki, listen okay? I-”

“No! I won't listen! Just fucking save it for when I get to you! Just stop! Don't leave, just come back home with me and we’ll figure it out! Stop being a damn coward, and just stay with me!” Aomine begged with a roar.

There was no hiding it anymore. You could picture him perfectly. His teeth clenched tightly against each other. His tears streaming down. It broke your heart. You were doing this to him when all you wanted to do was wipe away his tears.

“Daiki, listen okay?”

“____, no!”

“I love you, okay, Daiki?” Aomine sucked in a breath. It felt like poison. No matter how much faster he drove, it felt too slow. Aomine felt like he was suffocating. “But I do have to go.”

“____, shut up! Don’t get on the plane! I’m almost there, just wait! Just don't get on-”

“I left you something in the photo album,”

Aomine’s tears spring off his skin as they widen. “How did you-”

“I always knew, Daiki,” you smiled. You thought back to every picture in his photo album and it was the only thing keeping you from crying. “It was nice to look at. Especially before leaving. Thank you for keeping all those pictures.”

“____, just stop this. Just-”

“I left you something in it, okay? Take care of it for me, Daiki,” you ask, half of it stuck in your throat. Aomine would be here soon if you didn't start to make your way into security. You walked faster and fought the tears harder.

“____, no! You’re going-”

You hung up.

Aomine drops his phone. There’s no point in calling back or even arguing anymore. He just needs to get to the airport and stop you in time. Aomine is thirty minutes away from the airport, twenty two minutes left until your flight departs. If Aomine guessed correctly, or a little too hopeful, you would just be getting into security. With that thought in mind, Aomine stomped on the gas pedal again, going ten more miles per hour faster.

This was crazy, it couldn't be happening. Yet it was. Everything was happening so fast that Aomine could barely process what was going on. He just wanted to stop you from leaving. He wanted you to stay. He wanted you to stay with him instead.

With ten minutes left until your flight leaves, Aomine leaves his car in the drop off zone for international flights. He realizes he doesn't even know where in the hell you are going to in the United States. But Aomine didn't care, all he wanted was to check every security checkpoint before you made it all the way through. Because if you made it past security, he wouldn't have time to make it through to stop you. You would be on your way to your flight.

And that's when he sees you. Aomine catches just a glimpse of you, but that's all it takes for him to know it's you.

And you just left security. A small luggage rolling behind you as you walked toward another end of the hall.

Aomine stands in the way of everyone, watching you walk away. This was some shitty cliche part of the movie he thought could ever exist, yet he was living it. Your hands held a luggage and your passport tightly, not looking back with any regrets.

Then Aomine does the most cliche thing to follow after the most cliche part of the movie.

“____!” Aomine roars with all his lungs will allow him, his fists clenched and back hunched over a little.

His call echoes throughout this wing of the airport. Japanese and foreign people stare with shock and curiosity, all different with the same amount of confusion. Aomine can feel a fat lump in his chest wanting to launch out of his throat and onto the floor. He’s tired of his heart doing this. He honestly would rather have his heart on the floor instead of it feeling like it was going to explode. This couldn't be happening. Aomine couldn't possibly be losing you.

Aomine slowly looks up and finds your eyes immediately. And your smile.

And Aomine knows you see his heart burst into nothing when you let tears fall down. You cover your mouth, hiding the pain smile. Aomine’s gaping for words as he takes a step forward, wondering what he can do.  _ Anything _ to do to keep you here with him.

But as you take the hand from your mouth and send him a kiss, Aomine shakes his head.  _ You can't leave. _ As you turn, Aomine calls your name, begging.  _ Don't leave me. _ Aomine sees you pull out your phone and he knows. He knows you're sending one last thing. _ You made a promise. _ In an instant, Aomine feels his phone vibrate and he doesn't waste another second to read your message. He tries to at least, past the flood of tears blocking his vision.

_ Don’t forget to take care of it, okay? It’s with me in the photo album. It’ll be waiting for you, Daiki. _

_ I’m sorry. _

Just five minutes left until your flight leaves. It's stupid, Aomine knows. But he has to try. He tries to get a flight to wherever you were headed. But of course, you bought the last ticket for the flight. Even as Aomine tried to find another flight leading to the same place, it would be hours later yours and he wouldn't know how to find you.

Aomine tried and tried and no matter what, it was like the universe was fighting against every odd to keep you from Aomine. He was used to this. Especially ever since you had gotten with Kagami.

But now? It was like the universe was telling Aomine he was forbidden to ever see you. Like it was against human kind’s existence for you two to be together. It was like the universe was telling Aomine to give up on you.

Aomine cried loudly and so frustrated in his car as your flight flew over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'm just as sad as you. Maybe a little more than y'all, cus this is another baby that is coming to an end ಥ‿ಥ


	8. Maybe It Will Be Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know, ____, I think you and Dai-chan would have been okay if you stayed,” Momoi noted.  
> “...No, I’m happy with how everything turned out,” your lips hummed pleasantly.
> 
> Momoi looked to you a bit surprised. Even Momoi knows about the promise you made. No one would have ever thought you could leave Aomine or her behind. But she thought you could definitely never leave Aomine behind.
> 
> “Why?”
> 
> You smiled to Momoi. “Because you guys still love each other after everything. Even after I left. If I ruined you two, I couldn’t bear with it. I needed to know you guys would be okay despite what I did.”
> 
> You never ceased to amaze Momoi. In these five years, your diamond shined brighter than ever. It made her happy.
> 
> “You really never put yourself first, even when it seems like it, huh ____-chan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SUCH A LONG CHAPTER, GET READY!!!

_ Daiki, _

_ For the first time in my life, I don’t know how to talk to you. I don’t know how to… How to make this okay. I want to say and do so much for this to be easier. For the both of us. Believe me, this is hard for me, Daiki. I’m alone on this plane, going to another country without you. I want to make this okay, but… I don’t know how to. And I know you’re cursing the heck out of me right now, telling me I wouldn’t have to feel this lost if I just stayed with you. But I couldn’t take it anymore, Daiki. I couldn’t stand to be in Japan anymore. Even if that meant breaking my promise to you. _

Aomine’s hisses are heard through the closed door. Momoi can't do anything but sit silently against the door, listening to the damage she has done.

She knows she doesn't deserve to be by Aomine’s side. It wouldn't make any of this okay. Momoi loves Aomine, but she didn't want him like this. No, she wanted him to love her on his own. She thought, maybe a little push would help. But it was a shove over a cliff for everyone. Aomine, Momoi, Kagami… And you.

Momoi is truly, madly, deeply in love with Aomine. She was stupidly and blindly in love with him. But she didn't want this.

She didn't want this door in between her and Aomine. Momoi couldn't stand hearing his heartbreak when he didn't deserve it too. She didn't want to be the reason his heart was broken.

_ I won’t apologize to you. An “I’m sorry” on paper doesn’t mean anything. I know you won’t take it either, especially if you’re reading this once you got home from the airport. You’re furious with me. But I’m going to tell you what I’ve been holding in because I love you. I need you to be okay because that’s just what we do. You make sure I’m okay, and I make sure you’re okay. And I hate to admit it, it’s time to say it; We always made sure the other was okay before we made sure Satsuki was okay. But it’s just us, this is us now. You and me. And I want you to be okay. I need you to be okay and I feel like telling you the truth will help you be okay. _

_ I hope. _

Kagami’s attention jerks away from taping most of the packages and looks toward the sound of a car door being shut outside the house. He can't help but stare at the front door, waiting for you to come through it with a burst of love.

He sighs, returning to taping up the boxes that held all his precious belongings. How stupid of him to assume it would be you.

You made it clear when you ask Kagami to do this much for you.

This wasn’t a home for either of you. Just a place of mistakes and lies. Kagami wanted to get mad at you when you told him to keep the house. Like it was the plan, for it to be just his. But once Kagami looked into your eyes, he could see the real vision of this place to you. It was lies, dark, and different. Somewhere you didn’t want to be with someone you didn’t fall in love with.

This home was a prize to Kagami, in your eyes. And he scoffed so hard because you were so wrong. This was a home of his first mistake as a man. He failed you as a man and a husband and nothing in this house helped to forget that fact.

This was supposed to be a home for the two of you. But there was no more “two of you”. So when you told him your plan to go to America, he didn’t fight it. He didn’t have the right to. Kagami knew his rights to the house were also gone when it felt right to sit in front of the realtor as he found someone happy to take it off Kagami’s hands.

_ I was so in love with you, Daiki. Since we were kids. Ever since I could remember, I always believed you were going to be the one I was going to marry. I never doubted that. _

_ But you introduced me to Taiga. _

_ When you introduced me to Taiga, I had already made my decision to never tell you how I felt. And the more I thought about it, I realized why I got so mad when you told me you had made up your mind to never tell me. The both of us decided to never tell each other how we felt for all the same reason. _

_ I never wanted to tell you because I cherished my friendship with Satsuki. You never wanted to tell me because you cherished me. _

_ I was a hypocrite to tell you that all of this could have been avoided if you or Satsuki confessed. Because I could have prevented these past few shitty weeks too. I’m always relying on you two to fix me and my problems. But this, I am at fault too. Maybe just as much as Satsuki and Taiga are. _

_ Maybe. _

Momoi shrieks to the sudden bang against the door frame. Aomine gripped onto the door frame when he launched himself towards the door too fast. Their eyes met and Momoi was terrified. From the flared nostrils to the sudden pants from the rising and fall of his chest.

“Dai-”

“You fucking knew?! You knew about this, didn’t you?! That’s why you fucking did all of this bull shit!” Aomine accused, his mind clouded.

“Dai-chan, no! I didn’t know what ____ was planning until she was leaving Tetsu-kun’s-”

“No! I meant this-” Aomine held up the letter you wrote him. He knows Momoi probably wasn’t supposed to see this, but he was livid. Everything these past few weeks have made him furiously livid as if there was a level to that. “You knew ____ was in love with me before she met Taiga!”

Momoi slaps a hand over mouth as she gasps. And just when Aomine is about to yell, he sees it. The horror in Momoi’s eyes.

“No,” she shakes her head. “Dai-chan, I didn’t know.”

Momoi’s eyes widen even more when she realizes the truth. Momoi had some part of herself hate you because she didn't think you would understand what she went through. When in fact, you were living the same hell as Momoi until you met Kagami.

You always pushed Momoi towards Aomine, even when she was full of fear. But Momoi knows why you pushed so hard. You wanted Momoi to be happy, that's what she always assumed. But deep down, you thought you didn't have a chance with Aomine. So what else could you do other than pushing your best friend with the man she was in love with? Despite that being the man  _ you _ were in love with? You were getting your heart ready for something that seemed inevitable to you.

But you were wrong. Momoi wanted to shout that you didn't have to go through all that since Aomine was in love with you…

Whenever Momoi confided in you about her feelings, she understood why you looked so sad telling her to chase Aomine. How could Momoi not understand when she lived that feeling her whole life? You were just sad to see Momoi be happy with the man you were in love with. You were sad to see their relationship be close as if they were meant to be together. It killed you to see Aomine look better off with Momoi because… You were in love with him too.

But you were wrong to think they were meant to be together. Because Momoi knew it was you two that belonged together.

You played cupid so you could end your own suffering. It was killing you just as much as Momoi to see no end to this unrequited love. Aomine hadn't chosen either of you so you both kept pushing. The both of you kept pushing and pushing for the other so you could end each other's suffering.

But Momoi was wrong to let her suffering get to her. She was dying of her suffering and took it out on you and Kagami.

Slowly, Momoi and Aomine’s widened eyes stare at each other. And for the first time, they see who the other really is. Everything is out on the floor. And they hated to see that you weren't next to them.

Some stupid epiphany they realized they finally realized. Your actual feelings. They just assumed on their own and acted on their own.

And Momoi thought to herself that if she just knew, she wouldn't have done any of this. But what she realized more was because she did this, she was the one who broke your heart and soul most. And all out of anger.

It made her want to vomit all the disgust she had with herself.

“We’re… I…” Momoi whimpered into her hand.

Aomine mindlessly leaned against the wall and slid down to sit. Momoi fell to her knees, shaking.

You were gone in another country, in a new life. The two of them had to start their new life, a life past this shit. But it was hard. They were so broken and shattered.

_ But I fell for Taiga. I didn’t rely on him like I did with you two. He saw the strength I had in me when I always thought my strength was in Satsuki and you. And I know you could see it too, but we were comfortable with our friendship. We didn't want to change it because we liked relying on one another. Or, I liked relying on you and you liked me relying on you. I don’t know. I just know we liked… I liked how we were because I was afraid. _

_ When one door closes, another opens. And I was scared if I opened your door, Satsuki would close hers on me. She was my first friend and my best friend, Daiki. As much as I saw you as my groom, I saw Satsuki be my maid of honor jut a much. I always thought… It would be unfair if I chose you over because she was my first. _

_ And she found you first. And she was so in love with you, Daiki. I just wanted Satsuki to be happy, and if you were to make her happy as much as you’ve always made me happy, then I didn’t mind being the closed door. _

_ I honestly still don’t mind. I’m gone. I’ve chosen to close this door for the both of you because… I want you two to be happy. I want you to be happy the most. And I don’t think I could make you happy with how I am now. _

The wall against the back of Aomine’s head made more sense than the whole situation. Listening to Momoi’s cry made more sense than your logic. None of it made sense. All this time Aomine thought he was protecting you, trying to make you happy. But you were just doing the same for him too. But all this time, how could neither of you just know each other's feelings? Aomine and you were watching each other for so long yet… Neither of you just knew that you two were in love. Your logic made Aomine mad. Life felt unfair if your logic was everyone’s logic.

If you met Aomine first instead of Momoi, that's the only time it would be allowed for you two to be together?

Bull shit.

Momoi stopped crying and was sitting next to Aomine. He must have been deep in thought to not notice her move. But he wasn't mad. Not anymore. Just… He was just Aomine.

Aomine broke the silence first. “Hey, Satsuki.”

“Yeah, Dai-chan?”

“I never did ask,” Momoi’s lips hummed. Neither of them looked at each other. They just looked at the wall or at their broken living room. “Did Kagami cum in you?”

Momoi pouts as she turns her head to Aomine. He doesn't look because he's tired. She could see it in his eye bags. And if she looked harder, she could see it in the pupils of his eyes. Aomine just looked… Done.

“I took the pill in the morning,” Momoi sighs. She hugs her knees tighter against her chest. If she had Kagami’s baby…

“If you had Kagami’s baby…” Aomine turned his head up with his eyes closed. The thought made him scoff as he turned to Momoi. “Were you plotting that far out against me and ____?”

Momoi shakes her head as she tucks a strand of her pink hair. “I was just mad. I didn’t… I didn’t think that far out, Dai-chan.”

Aomine hums his lips then says nothing. And he doesn’t say anything when Momoi leans on his shoulder lightly. Aomine doesn’t get mad when she leans more onto him and doesn’t cry. They’re tired. Tired and broken.

But even then, for the first time, everything feels a bit of okay.

_ I’m just dust I’m past being broken, shattered, and stomped into smaller pieces. I am just dust that got caught in yours and Satsuki’s eyes. You two will brush me away because I’m such a bother now. Daiki, I don’t want to be a bother but I can’t… I can’t be okay right now. I never want to be a bother. Never. And I just know if we try, no matter how much you are in love with me or hope my love for you will resurface, I’m just dust. I can’t be put back together to what I once was. My love and heart can’t be pieced back together by you or by staying home. I just… I can’t. _

_ I had to let you know, Daiki. It wasn’t fair for me to find out the way I did, and I didn’t want to rob you of that. So I had to tell you the thing I had been hiding as well. I love you, Daiki. Nothing will ever change that. And I love Satsuki. It’s confusing right now, but… I still love her. _

_ I want what’s best for all of us now. And with what’s happened lately, I think this is what’s best for us now. I need to heal and so do you guys. _

“...Hey guys,” Kagami blinks a few times just to make sure it really is Aomine and Momoi standing at the front door.

Aomine’s eyebrow twitches, annoyed. Kagami yelps when Aomine kicks him flatly in his thigh. “Don’t look at me like I’m some fucking ghost, you ass hole.”

“Hey, okay, okay!” Kagami whines with each kick.

Swiftly, Kagami dodges one last kick before welcoming the two. Momoi halves a smile as she walks past him but it disappears when she sees the belongings in the house become replaced with taped up boxes. Kagami sees Aomine’s pout drop as well when he notices.

“We sold the house,” Kagami informs flatly.

Aomine and Momoi turn to Kagami surprised, but just stare when they don’t know what to say. Kagami chuckles up a laugh and walks past them toward the living room.

“C’mon, the couch is still in the room,” Kagami nods toward down the hallway.

It’s not awkward between the three of them. Or well, not as heavy between the three despite what’s happened. Even when Kagami’s arm brushes against Momoi’s, there’s no flinch between each other and when Aomine bumps into Kagami before sitting on the couch, there’s nothing but apologize. It was a bit of okay between each other since the hell they have endured these past few weeks. And it was nice. It was just a bit okay.

“So, I guess-”

“I’m sorry I fought with you, Kagami,” Aomine interjects.

He doesn’t meet Kagami or Momoi’s eyes when they stare at him. They aren’t really surprised, they just… Notice his actions. They stare at him and because he could feel their stare, he grows a little annoyed.

“I’m at fault here too, you idiots, so-” Aomine grinds his teeth longer until he sighs and opens his eyes. “I was in love with her and it never changed when she did. It sounds harsh, but I thought it was the same for you.”

Kagami only flinches because it was harsh. It was simple, yet Kagami was capable of fucking that up. He relaxes when he realizes Aomine isn’t mad.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kagami replies quietly. He looks over to Momoi and notices she’s fine. She’s just listening with an emotionless face. Kagami doesn’t know why he’s concerned if you weren’t here. But he can’t help it, after learning all of her feelings. So, he’s a bit relieved to see no reaction from Momoi. Really.

“I assumed when I shouldn’t have,” Aomine continues. “And I was too focused on ____ when you’re my friend too, you bastard.”

Well, that was surprising. Kagami and Momoi both their eyebrows a bit surprised but have a small smile when Aomine looks up. Especially Kagami.

“It’s okay. You’re the bastard anyway, I know you were just worried for her. You’re in love with her, after all,” Kagami chuckles freely.

“Hey, shut up,” Aomine grumbles, a vein growing on his temple.

Momoi can’t help but enjoy the moment. Just for a little while longer. Because seeing the two idiots bicker reminds her of the days when you and Kagami had just met. It was just the four of you, innocently hanging out and falling in love. The days after basketball practice or basketball games, the four of you would make time just to eat at some burger place. You and Momoi would enjoy placing bets on Kagami and Aomine. It was such a simple time, the best of your lives, probably.

It’s disheartening to not have you around, just when everything just started to feel okay. And Momoi can’t help but blame herself. But she can’t cry. She’s shed enough tears and wasted enough time. Momoi just wanted this to be okay for as long as it could be.

“Kagamin, I’m sorry too,” Momoi interrupts through the bicker. Kagami and Aomine freeze and just look to Momoi, who has a pained smile on. “I messed up your life, Kagami.”

“No, I’m sorry, Momoi. As much as ____ cherished you, you were my friend, too. I should have listened to your problems,” Kagami corrected.

Momoi sniffles, trying to hold in the tears. She could just picture you right there with them and damn, did she really wish you were there with all of them. “____ is the best thing in the world and I made her leave us behind.”

Your name rings in their ears over and over again and they can only silently agree. It’s just now when the air is heavy because your absence is even more immensely. All of them had the same thing on their mind, the one thing they would have on their mind for awhile.

No one was going to replace you.

_ Daiki, don't wait for me. Because I don't know if I'm coming back. It may be because I'm an emotional mess right now, but I really can't think of coming back to Japan. And I can't think of facing you with a smile since I've left you like this. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ I want you to be happy, Daiki. I want the both of us to be happy. But right now, it wouldn't be right. I just... I want you to be happy and if you find happiness without me, don't let it go. _ _   
_ _   
_ __ Thank you for everything, Daiki.

_ ~ _

Momoi’s not jumpy or impatient because she’s nervous. She looks up and down the street from her seat at the table because she’s excited to see you. It’s a new lifetime for the both of you and Momoi couldn’t wait to have you be a part of this one.

When a season turned into a year, everyone expected you to be home soon. But you weren’t. Soon the waiting became second nature. Then it just became a hope in some distant dream.

“Hey, you didn’t have to keep looking for me, you know,”

Momoi turned to find you standing next to her and a smiling waiter who decided to leave once you two were reunited. You weren’t so different, but there was an air around you that made Momoi happy. You were happy.

The two of you launched your arms around each other with an excited squeal, unable to let go of each other even as you two rocked side to side. This was nice. It felt new but comfortable. It felt amazing to be with each other again.

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere, I’m back for good,” you teased when Momoi latched onto you tighter each second.

“Excuse me!” Momoi exclaimed as she gripped your shoulders. Momoi’s pout hadn't changed when things weren't going her way. And she didn't like that you didn't know how hard it was to wait for you. “You haven't been to  _ Japan _ in five years! I won’t even get mad about not coming home because you haven't even come to Japan! So don’t tease me!”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” you snickered pleasantly.

Momoi was the same. Just a bit. But she was happy and you enjoyed it.

Lunch was nice. It was filled with a life you didn't know Momoi could have. She started her own business in retail management. She claims it to be hard but from the way she talks about sales and business, Momoi seems to have found her calling. If she could decipher basketball players’ strengths and weaknesses before even getting to meet them, business was no different. Momoi was so distracted talking about the work in it, you didn't know if she realized the pep in her talk when she continued.

Momoi was happy.

She wouldn't let you stop talking about your life in America when she started asking. Momoi always wants to know everything. It was basically a  _ must _ for her to know everything or else Momoi couldn't function as “Momoi”. Apparently, your stories were more entertaining than you remember living because Momoi gave a reaction to everything. Money was a hard adapting to. Momoi shared that currency transfers were difficult for her job so she couldn't help agreeing easily with that. She would frown deeper than she would in other situations. Momoi had a comment and reaction to every story, and it made you laugh. You loved it.

Momoi was really happy.

Momoi stops when she notices your smile. It's contagious you assume when she smiles just as pleased.

“What? Are you making fun of me?” you ask with an embarrassed chuckle.

“No, this is just nice,” Momoi explains. “I’ve missed you. A lot. It was weird with just me and Dai-chan.”

“It couldn't have been that bad,” you smirked with an eyebrow raised. But Momoi knows you're really just worried.

Momoi tilts her head with the same smile, it's just more content than the other one. “We’re okay now, don’t worry.”

“...Really?” you hesitated.

“Yeah, we really are,” Momoi laughed pleasantly with her hands up innocently. “Promise.”

“Satsuki, really? He’s been good to you, you two haven’t-”

“____, I promise you. Dai-chan has been nice to me. Everything's good,” Momoi persisted with a laugh.

You held your ground, just a bit longer. You wanted to believe Momoi, but the both of you knew Aomine. He could be too hard headed to deal with… Sometimes.

“____, trust me,” Momoi tried. Her smile was stronger.

“...Daiki and you are really okay?”

“Yeah, the break-up… It was going to happen eventually,” Momoi answered with that content smile.

After you left, when waiting for your return home began to just become a dream, Aomine and Momoi decided to go out. It was simple, almost like in high school when innocence was at its peak for all of you. Momoi was happy. She finally was able to be with the man she was in love with her entire life. And even if Aomine wasn’t in love with her his whole life, Aomine did love Momoi. And he was happy too. The dates felt just like usual hangouts they had whenever it was just the two of them. Only better, because they got to hold hands, kiss in public, and whisper sweet nothings to one another. Aomine was still the same grouch he seemed to be, but he went out more to make Momoi happy. Whenever she smiled, he did too.

Deep inside their happiness, they still waited though. Dreams don't just go away. They're just in the back of one's mind. It was the same for Aomine and Momoi. Even in their days filled with each other, there were other days that you occupied their mind.

Both of them knew it was going to happen. They couldn't just forget you, especially when someone would pass them that looked like you.

Then Momoi wondered. Whenever it happened, Aomine would go back to looking broken as ever. She didn't care if Aomine was still in love with you or if his feelings were just a cover up. Aomine truly loved Momoi. She knew in his eyes and touch. But when a look-alike would pass by, Aomine looked just like back then, on the day you left for the airport.

Then Momoi wondered if she was the same?

Aomine confirmed it with one of their big fights.

_ “You look like some hurt lost puppy when someone that looks like ____ walks by! You can't hold it over my head when I’m trying to be happy without her too!” _

Momoi thought she was trying hard to move on without you. Being able to date Aomine felt like a big step towards happiness. But after that fight, you realized you were just fooling yourself.

Both you and Aomine were fooling yourselves and everyone else.

“I was really happy to go out with Dai-chan, ____,” Momoi says with a smile. She takes a sip of her drink with both hands gripping the glass cup. There's an elegance to Momoi now. It was serene.

“Yeah?”

Momoi places the glass down and chuckles. A blast of memories come flooding her mind, even times before they started to date. 

“Yeah. Those three years were the best of my life. I was really happy,”

“...But?”

“How did you know there was more?”

You smirk. “You think five years is going to make me forget your little habits you’ve had since we were kids?”

“Yeah, a little,” Momoi laughs with a small shrug.

“Anyway, c’mon, finish,” you urged patiently.

“Well, I didn't think it could happen, but after the break-up, I was a lot happier. Like, a lot happier, ____,” Momoi clarified.

“Yeah?”

“It was like…” Momoi tapped her chin with a pout, trying to find the words. “Ah!” She pointed to the sky when she found the words. “I wasn't so tied to Dai-chan anymore. I always thought you had to be here or I had to always be in love with Dai-chan for him to stay with me. But when I realized we couldn't stay in love together, I wasn't so scared to break up. I was scared Dai-chan would finally leave. After everything that happened, and if we broke up, he wouldn't have a reason to be friends or stay together.”

“But you guys are still best friends,” you noted.

“Yeah… Dai-chan said I was stupid to think that,” Momoi smiled happily. “Everything changed, the sunrise was brighter and refreshing. We hung out a week after the break-up, just so we could become used to it. And I could tell. We were happier apart even if we did love each other.”

Momoi’s content smile turned into a frown when you just smiled. Like you had to settle for that answer.

“You don't believe me,” Momoi pestered as she perched her chin into her palm.

You scoffed. “I do! It’s just-”

“Ha! You don’t!”

“Satsuki! I do! Let me finish, geez!” you threw a napkin at Momoi and your laughs rang throughout the winds blow outside the restaurant. “Anyway!”

“Yeah, anyway?”

“Anyway, as I was saying, I just… You were so in love with him. And after what happened, and my letter, I just don’t want you guys to-”

“Geez, ____, you come back after five years and think it's all because of you, huh?” Momoi waved her hand around sarcastically.

Just as you gaped your mouth to complain, Momoi wrapped her hand around yours. She was so soft and her smile was real.

As the waiter came back to refill your waters, Momoi continued. “I didn't fall out of love with Dai-chan for you guys to be together,” She squeezed your hand tighter when you were about to say something. “Nope, listen. We fell out of love because… Well, we were scared to be without you so we dated. And we loved each other. And it was a nice date.

“But when we were okay without you, our dating seemed fake? Like there were a lot of weeks where we didn't see each other because we weren't scared or crying about you. It was then when it hit both Dai-chan and me that we do love each other, but we didn't want to use each other anymore.

“So, believe me when I say we're okay, ____. I found a better me that was just waiting to come out. Really,” Momoi beamed as she intertwined her fingers with yours atop the table.

And you couldn't help but beam as well. Momoi’s radiance was real and happily. It made you happy. “Okay. I believe you.”

Just as you were about to let go of Momoi’s hand to go through your purse, she held on tighter. Now her face seemed hesitant like she didn't know if she wanted to say what was on her mind. You hummed your lips in response but Momoi bit at it a few seconds longer.

“Satsuki…?”

“Hey ____?”

“Yeah…?”

“...We never slept together,” Momoi mumbled.

You blink. “You’re lying.”

“I know, I know-” Momoi grabs your hand with both her hands now, becoming more energetic. Or a little frantic. She just wanted to confess this quick, obviously. “But just hear me out-”

“Why not? Oh, my God, Daiki is such an idiot! Why wouldn't he sleep with-”

“I was the one who kept saying now,” Momoi interjected.

“What, why?” you asked annoyed. You were honestly annoyed because it felt insulting to you that Aomine wouldn't sleep with your best friend. It was like Aomine didn't appreciate her beauty, even though Momoi just admitted she was the one who declined Aomine.

“I just couldn't,” Momoi retorted nervously. It was a. it embarrassing to talk about. Only because… No one would have expected that.

“...You couldn't?”

“No, I couldn't,”

“Why?”

“Well… I love Dai-chan. Of course, I wanted to sleep together. And there were a lot of times we would be close to it. But I couldn't… Stop seeing you and Kagamin when it was about to happen,” Momoi said, feeling a bit defeated.

You intertwined your fingers with Momoi’s again and held both her hands. “Satsuki, why would you need to do that? Taiga and I are done, everything in the past is over with, there-”

“I know, I know, but… I didn't deserve to take that next step with Dai-chan. After everything that happened, we all know I’m the prime reason everyone got hurt. I hurt Dai-chan. And sleeping with him would mean I could have Dai-chan all to myself. But… I felt like I didn't deserve it,” Momoi articulated a bit fast. When Momoi ever talked fast like now, you knew she was holding this in. She probably hadn't even told Aomine about this. You held her hands tighter with that thought in mind.

“Satsuki, what’s happened is done. I’ve forgiven you, you didn't have to think like that. I know Daiki has forgiven you as well…” But that wasn't the person she needed forgiveness from. “Satsuki, you need to let it go. Forgive yourself for what's done.”

“I have… Only because Dai-chan and I broke up. With everything that went on and those feelings kept clouding my mind, I was finally able to forgive myself,” Momoi confirmed contently.

But for some reason, it didn't make sense. “Satsuki, you didn't tell me that, thinking Daiki and I would-”

“No, no-” Momoi let go and shook her head as she waved her hands out. “I just wanted to let you know because… I just had to get it out.”

“Okay…” you trailed off. Maybe you were just getting ahead of yourself. It was starting to hit you that hearing Aomine’s name would leave you restless.

“I felt like if I slept with Dai-chan, I wouldn't be as happy as I was supposed to be. And it didn't make sense because that's when I was supposed to be the happiest with him. But… I just didn't see me being happy after it happened,” Momoi shrugged with a smile. “It's weird I know, but… It's the truth.”

“Okay. I get it,” you semi-smiled.

You honestly didn't know how to feel about it because you were still trying to get over what you asked. What exactly were you trying to ask? Just what were you assuming when Momoi told you?

“____, you don't think you and Dai-chan-”

“No-” you took your hands back. You immediately took a strand of hair behind your ear and averted your eyes. “I don't wanna think about that, Satsuki. I can’t.”

“Why  _ can’t _ you think-”

“I left. You guys dated. There's no room for me-”

“Are you seriously saying that?” Momoi whined. When you shrugged, she pouted. “____, this is Dai-chan we’re talking about. And you! Do you really think, after the letter, he would-”

“Yes, he would just forget. It was just something for him to hear so he could be okay that I left, okay? Now let’s leave it at that, cmon, let’s go,” you instructed. You didn't wait for Momoi, you just stood from your chair and walked toward the exit gate of the restaurant’s outdoor gate.

“____, hey! Okay, but wait for me!” Momoi whined as she chased after you.

You didn't come back in hopes of that. It was just time. It was enough time for you to heal and to forgive your friends. Aomine knows the truth and that's all there is to it. You weren't hoping for some romantic getaway with him once you saw him. Those feelings you had were years ago, and just maybe… Aomine might not even care for those feelings after what you did.

Momoi wrapped an arm around yours with a smile while the two of you walked down the street. There were a lot of stores you two could go in, but neither of you said anything. Momoi could tell what was on your mind.

“Don’t worry too much about Dai-chan, ____. When you see him, you two will figure it out,” Momoi chimed like a happy song tune.

You smirked. “I can only hope so.”

“Well just forget for now, do you want to shop for a bit?! Shopping hasn't been the same with just Dai-chan and me,” Momoi huffed with a wave of her hand.

“Ah, I can't stay too long. Taiga and I have dinner later,”

“Oh, he did tell me that,” Momoi frowned. “Aw just when I thought I could have you to myself! See, we’re even passing our favorite store!”

You laughed and leaned against Momoi. This was so nice, you really did want to cancel on Kagami. Just a little. But that wouldn't be fair to him. It was just really nice to have your best friend again.

“You know-”

“Oh no, what is it?” you interjected with a chuckle.

“Nothing bad! It was just… When you left, Dai-chan never talked about it,” Momoi said, a little disappointed.

“I know. You said earlier. And it does sound like him, to not talk about his feelings, really,” you replied. Your voice trailed off when Momoi hummed in agreement. “Did it bother you?”

“A little. I did want to talk to him about it only because… When you left? I could see Dai-chan next to you,” Momoi admitted.

“What? Why?” you asked bewildered.

Momoi looked over the people passing the two of you with a smile. There were families with children crying, couples who laughed at the sights before them, and then there was Momoi and you. Her mind trailed off to then.

_ “America?! What-Why America?!” Momoi cried out. _

_ You turned in Kuroko’s doorway with a sad smile. “Satsuki, I can’t stay. I need to-” _

_ “No, don't leave!” Momoi darted to the door and gripped onto your shoulders. She shook her head frantically, weeping. “____, I’m sorry, I really am! But don't leave! ____, please, please-” _

_ “Momoi, let her go,” _

_ Momoi and you turned your heads to see Kuroko standing in the hall with hands in his pockets. _

_ Momoi shook her head frantically. “No! If she leaves, then Dai-chan will-” _

_ “He won't hate you, Satsuki,” you cut in, tears falling. _

_ You didn't want to leave Aomine. But your heart was shattered into pieces that were practically atoms. You couldn't stay with Aomine. He would try his damnedest to heal your heart to the point where he would forget about himself. He’s done it before. And it left Aomine in the hospital to get stitches. All because he was in love with you. There was no telling what else he would do just to heal your heart. You didn't want to find out. _

_ “Yes, he would! And so would Kagamin!” Momoi wailed. She bowed her head as she latched onto you tighter. “Please, ____, I’m sorry. But don't leave me.” _

_ Kuroko’s eyes tensed. He knew everything that happened. He figured it out once Momoi came to his door crying. She said a few words but that's all it took for him to figure it out. Your eyes met and Kuroko nodded his head. _

_ “Momoi, let go. ____ has a flight to catch and-” _

_ “No!” Momoi rejected Kuroko’s hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were clouded and her heart covered in guilt. “I don't get to say she needs to stay when I’m the reason this is happening, but-!” _

_ “You don't have a right to say anything to ____, Momoi! You broke her heart, made her call off her engagement, ruined Kagami’s engagement and heart, and you're about to break Aomine’s heart because the love of his life is leaving! Momoi, ____ needs this! You can’t-” _

_ “I know, I know, I know! But I didn't want any of this! I didn't want her to leave us behind!” Momoi snapped her head back to you. “____, I’m sorry, I really am sorry!” _

_ There was nothing Momoi could say to keep you. You made up your mind and heart. The ticket was already bought. It was going to happen. The only thing you could do was wrap your arms around Momoi tenderly. She flinched at your movement and tried to look up. But you hugged her tighter so she wouldn't see your own tears fall. _

_ “I know, Satsuki. It’ll be okay,” you whimpered. You turned your head and leaned onto hers. _

_ You honestly didn't know when you would see everyone again. You meant what you said in the letter to Aomine. You didn't know if you were coming back. Japan just felt too small to feel this much heartbreak. You wanted everything to be different, different from this world. _

_ Momoi leaned out of your touch, her eyes meeting yours. “Will you come back?” _

_ Your mind flashed to Aomine. It hurts. His smile will be broken if you continue with this. Your friendship will never be the same. You two will be different. You're going to break the promise. _

_ You shook your head and let go of Momoi. “I don't know.” _

“I could tell you were thinking of Dai-chan when I asked that,” Momoi explained. “You looked like you were going to stay… Just for him. Maybe you should have told him goodbye in person.”

You chuckled. “You and I both know if I did that-”

“You would have stayed,” Momoi finished with a smile.

“Yeah…” your voice and mind trailed off.

You did want to see Aomine. You wanted to see if his smile was still the same.

“You know, ____, I think you and Dai-chan would have been okay if you stayed,” Momoi noted.

“...No, I’m happy with how everything turned out,” your lips hummed pleasantly.

Momoi looked to you a bit surprised. Even Momoi knows about the promise you made. No one would have ever thought you could leave Aomine or her behind. But she thought you could definitely never leave Aomine behind.

“Why?”

You smiled to Momoi. “Because you guys still love each other after everything. Even after I left. If I ruined you two, I couldn’t bear with it. I needed to know you guys would be okay despite what I did.”

You never ceased to amaze Momoi. In these five years, your diamond shined brighter than ever. It made her happy.

“You really never put yourself first, even when it seems like it, huh ____-chan?”

~

“It was a pain to move again, but I like my house. It’s close to work and it's just the right size!” Kagami beamed with the biggest smile.

It's funny. You used to be in love with that smile. Now it was just something nice to look at. Kagami was someone nice to have as a friend.

“That’s good, Taiga,” you giggled. You smiled with your chin in your palm as you brought your glass of wine up to Kagami. “I’m glad you’re happy, Taiga.”

Kagami was shocked a bit. It might have been the same thing. He used to be in love with that smile. But he lost that privilege years ago.

Kagami smiled and brought his glass to clink against yours. “I am. And so are you.”

The two of you smiled and took a sip of your wines slowly. As you placed your glass onto the table, you couldn't help but laugh. Kagami joined you curiously.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, it's just…” your eyes explored the restaurant with a smile. You looked back at Kagami and he already knew from that teasing smile. “I was just thinking about the first time we came here.”

Kagami flinched at the mention, the blush on his cheek was adorable. “Really, this story again?”

“I can’t help it! You were really trying hard for our first date to be ‘perfect’,” you laughed as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

“O-Okay, so what?! I wanted to impress you!” Kagami stammered with his cheeks becoming pinker.

“Taiga, we were  _ sixteen.  _ You really thought you had to take me to this five-star restaurant to have me date you?” you quizzed with an eyebrow raised.

He crossed his arms as he shrugged. “Yeah, I did… You were out of my league.”

It was a nice memory. The Kagami in front of you now and then is so different. But the look in their eyes was about the same. After all these years, Kagami loved you. It was hard to say if he was  _ in _ love with or loved you in that way. The look in his eyes made it seem like he was. A little.

But the both of you knew that love was in the past and there was no future for it.

“So…” Kagami hinted. His finger trailed the rim of the wine glass, his eyes fully focused on the glass. He was hesitant.

“So…?”

“...Have you seen him yet?”

Your eyes widened a bit. That was unexpected. You wanted to joke, play it off like you didn't know who Kagami was talking about. But when his eyes met yours, waiting with half of a smile, all you could do was relax your shoulders. “No.”

“Oh. Were you planning to?” Kagami paused with a small pout.

“...I don't know if I’m really going, to be honest,” you sighed. Now you played with your glass of wine. It only tempted you to finish your half full glass of wine. Kagami blinked at you when you brought the empty glass to the table. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, it's just…” Kagami shook his head. His voice trailed off into a small chuckle. “That's the first time I’ve seen you stressed out because of Aomine.”

Your cheeks warmed to the mention. You chuckled nervously, hoping it would cover up the awkwardness. “What are you talking about? He’s always stressed me out.” You didn't like Kagami’s smile. It was testing you. “Okay, what?”

“Nothing, ____, it's just… I would think he would be the first one you wanted to see,” Kagami admitted.

_ He was. _

“No, I just got a hold of you and Satsuki first, I just…” you trailed off. It was hard to lie to Kagami but you felt the need to. Only because it was about Aomine. You shrugged. “I just haven’t gotten a hold of him.”

There was that testing smile again. “You don’t have to lie.”

“About?” Play dumb, that’s the best thing you could do. Yeah, do that. Kagami raised an eyebrow and that damn smile widened. You pouted. “I still get mad when you do that, you jerk.”

“What?” Kagami taunted. “Okay, I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t lie. You don’t have to with me.”

“...I know,” you sighed, defeated.

Kagami watched you use your fork to pick at the leftovers on the plate. You pierced your fork’s teeth into the peas then let it roll back and forth. You were still the same when your mind was muddled.

“Why don’t you want to see him?” Kagami broke the silence. You watched him lean forward and look into your eyes, just waiting patiently for the answer. But his patience just made you nervous.

Because you were scared of the answer.

Kagami waited longer. He thought you would say something when you stopped playing with your food, but you could only shrug. Kagami half smiled when your eyes met.

“You’re scared, huh?” Kagami tried.

You scoffed. “Geez, don’t make it sound like it’s so easy to not be!”

“It is easy to not be scared! You, of all people, are scared of Aomine?!” Kagami couldn’t help to laugh at the idea. “He wouldn’t hurt you.”

“That’ not what I’m scared of,” you mumbled with a pout.

“What is it you’re scared of then?” Kagami asked confused. You didn’t do anything wrong to… “Oh. Do you think he hates you for leaving?”

You nodded slowly.

“He wouldn’t-”

“Taiga, he didn’t do anything wrong. And I left him. Of course, Daiki would-”

“You really think that about Aomine?” Kagami interjected bluntly.

Your lips tensed. You didn’t have anything to say. How was it that Kagami could make you nervous about another man? Years ago, the thought would have never occurred. But that was a different lifetime.

It wasn’t wrong for you to think Aomine would be mad or hate you. He did nothing to you that would have him cut off from you. It always seemed like you needed Aomine but he needed you just as much as you needed him. It was just different now. Did Aomine need a you that broke the one promise he kept close to his heart? It wasn’t fair to him to get his heart broken. It just seemed like you broke his heart because your heart was broken. As if it wasn’t fair for you to be the only one suffering. Well, that’s how you thought Aomine would grow to see your decision.

You were terrified to find out if that was true.

“You know…” you met Kagami’s eyes. He could see the fear in your eyes. He wanted to hold you, let you know there was nothing to be scared of. But Kagami was only allowed to do one of those things now. “When you told me you were going to America, I knew your first thought was Aomine.”

Now you were the one who had the testing smile. “Uh-uh, no way. How could you have known that when I didn’t even-”

“You weren’t looking at me,” Kagami interrupted. You flinched to see his smile become painful. When you shook your head, Kagami continued with a laugh. “You were distracted, thinking about something else. Someone else. That was all I needed to know you were worried about Aomine. But he’s a big boy, he’s okay. I mean, he was fine with Momoi, even after their break up.”

That was true. Momoi had no reason to lie to you. Even if she did, you could call bull shit on her. Except you didn’t need to call bull shit. There was none. Momoi had a genuine smile. She was happy to have dated Aomine. Momoi was happier to be single and have the answers she never knew she needed. If she was fine and said Aomine was fine, there wasn’t a reason to doubt her.

If only your fear agreed with your logic.

“I… I know. I’m just scared I hurt him, Taiga,” you murmured.

“Of course you hurt him,” Kagami assured. “You walking out of his life? That was the worst thing for him.”

You flinched. He was serious. You had to avert your eyes and bring your arms to the table just for balance. The thought of Aomine being angry with you terrified you. You just didn’t realize how much it scared you until someone had to say it.

You snapped your head up when Kagami brushed his finger against your arm. It was so foreign. It wasn’t that you wanted Kagami to hold you. It was just… Different compared to how you two used to be.

“But he’ll recover from it,” Kagami smiled. For some reason, you couldn’t help but smile also. “I did.”

~

The night floated longer and longer in Aomine’s day, just like his exhaustion. He barely had enough energy to think about cleaning his house. It wasn’t dirty. It was a two story for some reason. He really bought the house on impulse, it just seemed nice to have. There were minimal things in the house. Just necessities in each room, not too much and not too little for someone to be uncomfortable. There were a few things Aomine remembered were out of place, but he was too damn exhausted to clean up. There were some jackets in the living room that needed to go into the hallway closet. He could do that later. In his office were some documents that he needed to reread before going to bed. Aomine would get that before getting a glass of water. There should be a few dishes left from the morning. If he didn’t want to become irritated in the morning, Aomine decided to clean them now.

As Aomine toed off his shoes and opened the closet door, he sighed to smell curry throughout the house. He didn’t eat since this morning. It would be nice to have some curry right now. Any food.

Suddenly, Aomine heard a pot clink against something metal. Another spoon? Momoi must be here. She did know he had a conference and it would be all day. She always worried too much and would make him food when he never asked.

“Oi, Satsuki. How many times do I have to…”

Aomine stopped in his tracks when he saw someone other than Momoi.You. And you were just as shocked to see him as he was to see you. If you two looked exactly alike, it would be like looking in a mirror. Wide eyes, tense stance, a gaped mouth. The two of you were stuck on what to say. The only difference was you held a pot and spoon.

You put the pot and spoon down into the sink and wiped your hands. Even from the fairly far distance, Aomine could tell you were shaking.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” you faltered timidly. Aomine didn’t have anything to say. He still stood there frozen in the door frame speechless. He closed his mouth when you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear with a small smile. “Welcome home.”

Aomine hadn’t pictured this domestic view in years. He always dreamed his future would be like this. Coming home from a tiring day to you cooking, just saying the simple “Welcome home”. It would be the best part of his day. Aomine would come home to the love of his life happily, and in the one greeting, the weight of any stressful day would be lifted.

But your first greeting to him in his own home was nothing like he pictured. And it made you worry that he didn’t say anything in these few minutes you had said anything. Aomine could see it in the way you held your fingers, shaking.

“Satsuki told me you would be gone all day so I… I cooked your curry,” you said as you opened your arms to the food on the dinner table. When Aomine shifted his weight to his right knee and put a fist in his pocket, you grew more nervous. His pout and furrowed eyebrows didn’t help. “I got a spare key from Taiga. I hope you don’t mind.”

Aomine still didn’t reply. He didn’t want to. It was still processing who was in his kitchen right now. For some reason, he was thankful his hand was in his pocket. You wouldn’t catch on so easily that he clenched his fist so tight, he couldn’t figure out if that was sweat or blood in his palm. Aomine betted blood from how hard his nails dug into his palm.

“Daiki-” you stepped on the kitchen’s island and walked toward him. Aomine stepped back and looked away. Just a few more steps and you could just hug him. You missed him so much. This… This wasn’t how you wanted to say hi, but it felt the easiest. Wasn’t that a good thing? Why was he acting like this? It didn't… It didn’t feel right. “Do you want me to go?”

“Why would it be a problem now? You didn’t care to leave back then, why start now?” Aomine asked as he walked past you to the kitchen.

A breath was stuck in your throat. You felt a kick to your throat once Aomine walked past you. The air blew past you felt so cold, just like winter slashes. It cut and burned. It was a phenomenon you didn’t understand.

You turned to see Aomine grab a clean glass out his cabinet when there was already one filled with iced water on the table for him. He was stubborn. And he wanted to hurt you. You knew Aomine and what he was capable of. You just didn’t know he was capable of hurting you like this.

“Daiki, can we talk? About-”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Aomine spat. He took a sip from his water and stared at you. It made your knees tremble. It wasn’t like how someone infatuated becomes weak in the knees. You hated to admit that it was fear making your knees buckle.

“Daiki, please, I-”

“What?” Aomine interjected. He put the glass in the sink and it fell in loudly. It might have broke. But Aomine was far from done. “You think I love you like that still? To listen to whatever bull shit you have to say to make what you did okay?”

It hurts. It hurts so much.

“Daiki, no,” you shook your head frantically. You walked closer, you just wanted to close this growing gap. “I wasn’t thinking like that. I just wanted to see you. Satsuki and Taiga told me-”

“You knew I was fucking in love with you, ____,” Aomine spat. His voice roared in the kitchen, maybe throughout the house. He only became angrier when your eyes were beginning to become moist. “I did my best to make sure you were fucking okay.”

“Daiki, I had to go. I couldn’t-”

“I know. Because you just fucking left  _ me _ behind,” Aomine finished. A vein grew in his temple and his muscles were on fire.

Aomine never said a word about you after you got on the plane to America. He moved on. His days started to become normal. They didn’t feel like months anymore. Aomine functioned as if nothing happened. In his own mind, nothing happened. You left him. It was whatever.

Or so he thought. Now? It wasn’t whatever. It was five years of bull shit he kept in the back of his mind because the love of his life left him.

“Daiki, just listen to me. I can explain, just please talk to me,” you begged. Your tears were falling now and you just wanted it to stop. You wanted everything to stop. The burn in your eyes. The itching feeling in the mouth that made you hesitate to talk. The stabs to your heart. You wanted it all to stop.

You reached out to Aomine. You just hoped for a hug, something little. You missed him. This wasn’t what you wanted. These cold eyes staring at you weren’t Aomine’s. Your heart jumped when Aomine snatched his arm back, out of your reach. This wasn’t Aomine.

“Daiki-”

“You want to talk to me? You could have. These past five years. And the first people you go to see?”

“Wait, Daiki, please. Can we just talk, I can-”

“You go see the people who fucking betrayed you before me, the only person who had your back!” Aomine thundered as he waved his arms.

You could feel the air from his arms whip past you, it made you shut your eyes tight. Just maybe, if you hurt your eyes a second longer, this would be a nightmare you could wake up from. Aomine would be the Aomine you remember, the Aomine you didn’t want… But slowly, you could see this was the Aomine you feared. The Aomine you deserved to get. Because you did the most unforgiving thing to the man who deserved nothing but love.

Aomine’s chest huffed with each breath he inhaled but nothing felt simple. It was supposed to be simple, right? You two were simple together. You two weren’t… This. Then again, you two lost what you were five years ago. He was making you cry. He was saying things that just popped into his mind. This wasn’t what he wanted. But… It felt like those five years were just screaming at him to say his miseries.

You shook your head frantically. This time you ran to Aomine and wrapped your arms around his waist. You dug your forehead into his chest. It was warm. It was nice. It was what you wanted, not this anger firing out of him. You just wanted this to be okay. You wanted the two of you to be okay.

“Daiki, please, I’m begging you, just, please… Please let me explain,” you coughed. This was worse than five years ago. It hurt so much more and it was killing you much harder than what happened those five years ago.

You heard your heart crack louder than it ever had when Aomine grabbed your wrist and unlatched you from him.

Aomine walked past you and stopped once he was in the door frame.

“I begged for you to stay,” Aomine replied slowly. You slapped a hand over your mouth when you couldn’t hold back your cries anymore. “Do you really think I could care if you begged to talk?”

You wailed louder into your hand. There was nothing you could say. You didn’t deserve to say a word to Aomine.

“You have Kagami’s key. Lock the door yourself and tell him to lose it. He lost his key privileges,” Aomine ordered sternly.

You didn’t hesitate. You grabbed your purse and practically ran past Aomine, slamming the door behind you. The whole neighborhood and even Aomine could hear you crying your heart outside his house. It was hard. Aomine’s hand must have been flooding in blood now. As he stood by his front door, he heard your steps quickly leave and your cries become a bit quieter. You didn’t even lock the door.

After Aomine locked the door, he returned to the kitchen. It was colder, he could feel the air over his burning skin. Aomine looked down at the plate of curry over rice. There was steam coming from it. Just as Aomine’s stomach growled, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

The first meal you cooked for him, right after you welcomed him home, and Aomine threw it at the wall. It had been so long since he yelled that loud and with such big tears.


	9. It Should Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re still precious to him. Aomine-kun wouldn’t let you leave. He just… Needs time to think,”
> 
> “Three weeks isn’t enough?”
> 
> “It took all of first year for Aomine-kun to realize he still needed to work a lot harder to be the best in basketball,”
> 
> You couldn’t deny that. Kuroko and you laughed at the memory. It was ironic. Back then it seemed like the most life changing moment for Aomine, as if he would never be able to get back up from this. Now, its just a memory everyone laughs and jokes about. You smiled at Kuroko with appreciation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this chapter's actually happy. I promise.

Three weeks have passed since Aomine and you last spoke.

~

“Okay, that should be the last of these boxes!” Kagami exclaimed as he placed the large brown box onto your floor. Kagami smiles at the rest of the group, who followed behind with smaller boxes, the last of your belongings. “Does anyone want to go with me to drop off the rental truck?”

Immediately, Kuroko places the box onto the floor and lays his body atop it, exhausted. You and Momoi laugh wholeheartedly while Kagami sighs.

“Kuroko can stay here with me and unpack some of my things, just to get a head start. What do you say, Satsuki?” you offer with a smile.

Momoi pouts to Kuroko, who still relaxes atop the box on the floor. “If I go, you have to promise me you’ll make sure ____-chan stays here, Tetsu-kun!”

“Satsuki, I just bought my own place. I’m not-”

“Watch her, you have to promise me, Tetsu-kun!” Momoi huffs with an even deeper pout.

“Momoi-san, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. ____-san will be staying in Japan for good. It’s like she said, she just bought this home. It would be silly-”

“Promise me, Tetsu-kun!” Momoi cries now as she kneels down next to Kuroko to shake his tired body. He doesn’t put much effort to fight her off. You and Kagami snicker to each other as Momoi continues.

“Thank you again for helping me out, Taiga. I really appreciate it,” you profess kindly.

Kagami looks down at you with a smile to match yours. He would hope you knew this, even after the break up. But he felt the need to say it anyway. “Of course. I’d do anything for you.”

“Geez,” you lightly punch his firm bicep with red cheeks. “Stop talking like that, it’s embarrassing.”

Kagami can only laugh. It’s been a bit strange since you came back to Japan. There were quite a few times both of you said something that would remind either of you of the days you were together. The only thing either of you could do was just be embarrassed and brush it off. Those days were gone.

“Tetsu-kun, I won’t go with Kagamin unless you promise me to make sure ____-chan stays here, for sure!” Momoi continues to cry and shake Kuroko without any consideration for his neck that swayed back and forth.

Kuroko jumps up and out of Momoi’s grasp with a scowl. “Yes, yes. Even though you have nothing to worry about.”

“I still like to be reassured my best friend won’t leave me forever,” Momoi frowned. It disappeared when you knelt down next to her with your arms wrapped around her.

“I’m staying forever, Satsuki, don’t you worry,” you said in a sing song tone. As you both giggled together, Kagami coughed. Satsuki and you looked back to Kagami as he tapped his wrist watch. “Oh yeah, you have to bring it back before 4!” You unlatched yourself from Momoi and stood up alongside her. “Alright, you guys go. Kuroko and I will start unpacking some of my things so I don’t have to wake up too early tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you in an hour!” Momoi waved along with Kagami as they walked out the front door.

Kuroko and you waved back then looked to each other with a smile once the door closed. It was hard for the both of you to not fall to the floor with an exhausted sigh. You both lay completely comfortable on the wooden floor of your new home.

“We should send them to get food when they’re done dropping off the rental truck,” Kuroko suggested. It was muffled into the ground. You didn’t blame him, even you were too tired to turn your neck just to check on him.

“You’re right. That way, it’ll take them longer to get here so we can procrastinate longer to unpack my stuff,” you groaned just at the thought of opening the smallest box next to you.

Simultaneously, Kuroko and you turned to each other and smiled tiredly. It was strange to look at Kuroko and see the high school version of himself. The years that have passed since then haven’t made him age more than two years from what it looked like. It made you think the two of you would be able to get through this moving day with more energy. You mentally shook your head to the thought.

“Alright, let’s get started,” you said as you abruptly stood up. Kuroko still laid face down on the floor and you could still see his tired eyes fighting to stay open. The four of you have been up since 5 in the morning. And after a night of drinking together at your old place as a goodbye until 3 in the morning, you couldn’t blame him for being tired. “Where do you want to start, Kuroko?”

Kuroko sat up and crawled over to a box that had “Kitchen” written neatly and largely on it. Within the next second, the clear tape was peeled away from the box and Kuroko flashed a thumbs up to you. “I can start here.”

“Did you really check what would have heavy stuff in it first and then decide which box you would handle?” you asked with a small laugh.

“If I were to carry more heavy things in my tired state, I’m afraid I would drop and break most of your things, ____-san,” Kuroko admitted shamelessly as he pulled out numerous pans and cooking utensils.

You shook your head with a crooked smile. Kuroko was a good soul, anyone would be a fool to not know that.

There were several boxes surrounding you in the room. They all seemed to be screaming for you to pick one over the other. In reality, you just didn’t know which box to choose because you really didn’t want to start opening any boxes. But as your eyes explored every wall to the next one, a smile grew on your face. This was you starting over. In some way or another.

Once you opened one, you breeze through three more. Kuroko actually got all of your kitchen utensils out of the boxes and into the kitchen. He was just going to leave them atop the counter tops and the kitchen island. Momoi and you wanted to leave organizing the entire place to the two of you and a glass of wine. It sounded like the best plan. Once Kuroko finished placing the kitchen utensils in a safe spot, he began opening more boxes alongside you. Soon, there were only three boxes left.

“Whoo! With only twenty-five minutes spent, we’re almost done!” you exclaimed as you beamed a smile to Kuroko. He wasn’t so tired anymore since his smile matched yours.

“I’ll start on these two and you can get the rest of the things out of that box,” Kuroko recommended as he pointed to the box a few feet away from you.

You nodded with a thumbs up and you both went your ways to finish opening up these boxes. The pile of flattened cardboard boxes and bubble wrap began to tower in the corner of your future living room made you feel more relief than exhaustion now. You just couldn’t wait to be finished.

The box you began to cut into had no label for what was inside. Suddenly you remembered back to when Momoi was packing up numerous small items together. They had no relation, they just needed to get packed away. With that reminder, you opened the box a little more carefree. You smiled to see you were right.

A few DVD cases were scattered throughout the box. Next to them were some little knick knacks in clear containers, like clothes pins, loose change, even make up brushes in a bigger clear container. There wasn’t much need for caution so you rummaged through the many items in the box.

Your heart stopped to find a frame picture of you and Aomine together.

His annoyed groan screamed in the picture, somehow harmonizing along with your jubilant laugh. For the life of you, you couldn’t remember what made Aomine annoyed to even exist. It was just nice to look at, his face caught candidly. You brushed one of your thumbs over the edges, suddenly missing his presence again.

Kuroko looked toward you once he heard your light footsteps walk farther away. His eyes couldn’t miss it even if he was forced to look away from the picture frame. When you placed the picture frame within the pile of flattened cardboard boxes and bubble wrap, he was suddenly standing next to you. You didn’t bother to look up.

Kuroko placed his hand on your shoulder slightly. You couldn’t help but grasp just his fingertips, just barely.

“Don’t you want to keep that here?” Kuroko frowns when you force a small laugh. He looks down, but can’t see your face. Then again, he doesn’t have to see to know what kind of face you’re making. “You don’t have to get used to living without Aomine-kun.”

“You could tell?” you ask a little too fast. Maybe you were giving yourself a little too much credit. Especially if Kuroko could see right through what you were doing.

Kuroko sat down next to you and smiled at your pained one. “It’s not hard to miss, ____-san.”

“It seems fair, doesn’t it?” you sigh deeply. For the first time, that felt like the most relief you could get when it came to Aomine and your’s situation in the air. “I hurt him. I mean… It should hurt. I’m supposed to be hurt. It’s only fair since I hurt him when he didn’t deserve it.”

“No one should get hurt, whether they think they deserve it or not,” Kuroko frowned at your logic. “Aomine-kun’s still hurt from what happened, so… He did that out of anger.”

“But I think he’s pretty much made up his mind to not see me anymore. He won’t answer any of my calls or texts,” you lower your head at the thought of Aomine just living without you even longer. “Daiki’s made up his mind to live his life without me. I should respect that, shouldn’t I?”

Its silent in the room until Kuroko fishes through the pile and walks with the picture frame in hand. You watch him curiously as he puts the picture table on the kitchen island, perfect for you to look at it, even if you didn’t want. Slowly, you get up and stand next to Kuroko’s side. He’s smiling. It was smile, but it was confident. Especially when he looked at the picture. You couldn’t help but look at the picture now.

“You’re still precious to him. Aomine-kun wouldn’t let you leave. He just… Needs time to think,”

“Three weeks isn’t enough?”

“It took all of first year for Aomine-kun to realize he still needed to work a lot harder to be the best in basketball,”

You couldn’t deny that. Kuroko and you laughed at the memory. It was ironic. Back then it seemed like the most life changing moment for Aomine, as if he would never be able to get back up from this. Now, its just a memory everyone laughs and jokes about. You smiled at Kuroko with appreciation.

~

It’s too quiet in the car ride back home. Kagami can’t stop shifting his sight from the road to Momoi, whose lost in her thoughts. Four full minutes pass when Kagami decides to break the silence with a small cough.

“You could have just asked me what’s wrong, Kagamin,” Momoi teases with a small smile. She looks away from the window and smiles at Kagami, as if there wasn’t anything bothering her.

Kagami frowns. “Okay. What’s wrong?”

“I just… She’s still sad. I know you notice it too. But it makes me a little frustrated I can’t cheer her up without Dai-chan,” Momoi fusses with a small smile, as if she was a child with too much pride to admit she was wrong.

“That will never change with you three,” Kagami laughs as he turns the wheel. Only a few more moments until the two of them would be back at your new home. Momoi halves a laugh then it trails off with a heavy heart. Kagami is hesitant to ask, but he knows Momoi anticipated him asking. “Why haven’t you told her yet?”

“... I want Dai-chan to be the one to tell her,” Momoi admits, a little sad.

“Are you afraid?”

“A little,” Momoi answers, turning to Kagami with half a smile. She’s not shaking or feeling nervous or anything. Just a heavy heart.

“She won’t hate you. After everything that happened with us and them, she still hasn’t hated you,” Kagami points out. It’s too heavy for both of their liking. He coughs a laugh. “It’s a miracle if you ask me.”

Kagami feels like he did something wrong when Momoi just stares at him, worry full in her eyes. “But what if she won’t stick around again? What if its like 5 years ago all over again? I don’t want to-”

“Momoi, you know she won’t leave but…” Kagami trails off.

Because Momoi has every right to worry. You gave her, Kagami, and Aomine a good reason to think you wouldn’t stick around once you find out what happened in the past 5 years. What happened when you were gone. Kagami can understand why Momoi is afraid now. And he can definitely understand why Aomine acted the way he did. But… He owed it to you to be the one to have your back. He swore he would always have your back, and after everything that happened, Kagami swore he would never break that promise again. He swore on his life.

Kagami pulls up in front of your house and parks the car. The two of them sit in silence, the air too heavy. As his car’s engine hums to a quiet breath, Momoi notices Kagami’s sigh is too heavy.

“What’s wrong?” Momoi asks curiously. At least she sounded less worried now.

Kagami stared at Momoi’s door handle, a little lost in his feelings. Momoi could analyze anyone physically and psychologically to near perfection. He felt a little strange admitting this aloud, but it felt needed.

“I guess it’s a little hard to watch her be like this and I can’t make her happy either,” Kagami explains.

“Believe me, me too. But you guys… You can always cheer her up. After everything that happened, you guys are still okay. I mean, its-”

“No,” Kagami interjects as he looks into his side view mirror now. He’s never gotten used to his look now. It’s not the same as when you two were dating. Everyone doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he vents about it. But every time he looks at himself in the mirror, he can tell he looks… More distressed than he lets himself seem to be. “Not like Aomine does.”

Momoi sits back in her seat silently. Her silence is more than enough confirmation that his statement was correct. It was as correct as water being wet. There would be no point in pointing it out, so she asks the other question on her mind.

A question Kagami always avoids.

“Are you still in love with her?”

“I got over her leaving us all behind. We deserved that. I deserved it the most,” Kagami sighs. He answered too fast to his liking. And this was the most honest he has answered this question. It hurts.

“But you’re not over her,” Momoi finishes quietly.

Kagami turns to her, but can’t look her in the eyes. If he had an answer, no, if he should say the answer, he knew you had to be the first one to hear it. He just… Didn’t deserve to tell you.

Without another word, Kagami steps out the car and makes his way inside the house with Momoi not far behind. He smiled to see the empty cupboards had plenty of your kitchen utensils and the living room floor had so many of your belongings. But when his eyes landed on the picture on the island, he forced an even bigger smile. Only Kuroko and Momoi noticed though.

“Taiga! Satsuki! How was giving back the rental truck?” you beamed as you jumped up from the floor.

“Mission accomplished,” Kagami answered with a proud smile.

Momoi and Kuroko didn’t have to look at each other to match. Kagami forced his true feelings down his throats, and neither of them were the right one to call him out on it.

“Great, thank you so much! Were you guys going to stick around while me and Satsuki drink wine and organize my kitchen or…?”

“Ah, I actually better get going,” Kuroko answered. Originally, Kagami and he planned to stay, just to lounge around. But from Kagami’s content smile, Kuroko trusted he understood.

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired. I didn’t think I would be this tired, but we all did drink too much last night so-”

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry about that,” you laughed.

“Don’t worry about it, ____-san, it was a fun night. Kagami-kun, would you mind giving me a ride to my place?” Kuroko turned to Kagami with a small smile. Kagami shook his head and began to wave to Momoi and you. Kuroko followed behind. “Thank you for today, ____-san.”

“No, thank you guys! Text me when you’re both home, okay?” you askedr with your arms waving widely in the air. Momoi threw away her bothered face and mimicked you.

Kuroko and Kagami waved one last time before getting into Kagami’s car and driving off. The distance from your house and his car grew longer and longer as he drove away. Somehow it made Kuroko feel smaller.

“I didn't mean to leave it up there,” Kuroko explained as he sat in the seat more comfortably.

Kagami ignored Kuroko when he frowned. “I know.”

“I was trying to cheer her up,” Kuroko explained again. He wasn't irritated or upset, he was just… Going into more detail. Kagami understood.

“Kuroko, it's okay,” Kagami flashed him half a smile before turning back to the road. “I appreciate it, I really do.”

“Okay,” Kuroko accepted quietly. His sigh wasn't as quiet. “I just saw your face when you walked into the house and-”

“Trust me, it's okay. If it makes ____ happy, it doesn't matter how I feel…” Kuroko didn't say a word when Kagami gripped the wheel tighter. “That’s what I owe her.”

~

You notice Momoi staring at the picture for too long. It was like she was waiting for the break up scene to play so she can cry. You take the picture off the island and face it down on the other side of the island.

“Kuroko was just trying to cheer me up,” you explained with half a smile.

“Can it be my turn to cheer you up now?” Momoi tries.

You snicker. “There’s nothing to cheer me up over anymore. You missed your chance, Satsuki. Kuroko stole it from you.” You winked to her and she just couldn't help but roll her eyes.

You laughed contently. And Momoi loved it. But she can tell in your eyes your minds thoughts. Being best friends for this long makes it almost second nature for the both of you.

Just the three weeks without talking to Aomine since the fight have been rough. No matter how much time you spend alone to think or spend with others to distract yourself, you find yourself still looking for ways to fix this. To fix you. It's almost too hard to be who you are so you want to fix you for the better. To be better for Aomine. Because you would do anything to have him be your best friend again.

It's hard. Just thinking about it makes your nerves forget how to work. You shake your head and smile at Momoi. “I'm going upstairs real quick, okay? I wanna check if the last home owners left anything they didn't need.”

Before Momoi could even say a word, you dart upstairs humming a familiar tune. It was almost unbearable. This wasn't who you were and it was so wrong to Momoi.

Momoi pulled out her phone and pulled up a familiar contact before typing out a message.

~

Hours had past Aomine as he stared at the numerous papers coating his desk. Literally. And it wasn't a few hours. It was more than 36 hours to be precise. He can't sleep at home so he decided to work at the office. If he was going to be up, Aomine thought he might as well work. But no matter how much he aligned the papers and edited the data, tapping the pen against the clipboard he held was more soothing than the numbers that were logical.

“I need a drink,” Aomine groaned as he leaned his head far back over the head of his chair. Just then, his phone rang. Aomine fished his phone out of his pocket and groaned to see the name. “What-”

“Aominecchii! Let’s hang out!” It was Kise.

Aomine looked over to the clock on his office wall. It was 1:28 AM on a Tuesday. He groaned loudly with a hand over his eyes, annoyed with everything that could possibly exist. Especially, Kise Ryouta.

“Well that's just rude,” Kise pouted.

“It’s 1 in the morning, Kise. Why are you up?” Aomine tossed the clip board onto the other end of his desk where no papers lay. Of course, the clipboard doesn't land quite right and falls over, landing into the trash bin. “Fuck me.”

“Woah, woah, Aominecchii, I know things were rough with Momoicchii but-”

“Why are you calling me right now, Kise,” Aomine gritted his teeth as he hissed the words.

“Okay, geez!” Kise cried. “I haven't seen you in awhile. I come back home from America in a few days, I just wanted to pay you a visit.”

“Go pay someone else a visit, I’m busy,” Aomine ordered. The hours he decided to stay up for were finally getting to him. Even he could tell he was more grouchy than usual.

“Too busy avoiding a certain someone,” Kise mumbles on the other line.

“What. Did. You. Say?” Aomine huffed each word.

“Nothing, nothing! Just hang out with me on Saturday night! C’mon, you're the only one I haven't seen in forever!” Kise cried loudly. Aomine had to pull the phone away from his ear.

“Go visit Midorima,”

“I hung out with him before he dropped me off to my flight to come here.”

“Call Mura-”

“He’s busy with his one little friend,”

“Who?”

“Kagamicchii’s friend from America,”

“Oh, him. Go hang out with-”

“Akashicchi is on vacation until Sunday. And I even hung out with him last week! Aominecchii the only one I haven't seen is-”

“Bother Tetsuya or Kagami! I told you I’m-!”

“I saw them the other night! C’mon, Aominecchii, I’m lonely and I miss you! Let’s just-”

“Alright! Alright! I’ll hang out with you Saturday! Now let me go back to work!” Aomine roared into the phone. He was lucky no one else was in the office. If his subordinates were to see him like this, he might be looked at completely different.

“Yes, okay! I’ll see you Saturday! Thanks for getting me ¥100, Aominecchii!” Kise boasted with joy. Aomine could just picture Kise dancing like an idiot perfectly. He scoffed to the thought of Kise getting ecstatic over ¥100 when everyone knows Kise makes well more than that. Sometimes the numbers weren't even funny.

“Who’d you make a bet with over me now?” Aomine sighed.

“____cchii,” Kise answered in a sing song tone.mmediately, Kise clamped his mouth when the name slipped his mouth. “Wait, Aominecchii, I-”

“Huh… When did you see her?” Aomine interjected in a dry tone. He didn’t really know how to feel or what to say. It seemed… Fine to ask when Kise and you hung out, right?

“Oh. Uh, when I hung out with Kagamicchii and Kurokocchii. Momoicchii was there also! It was fun, we were at ____cchii’s place and-”

“Sounds like fun,” Aomine broke in, his tone strong.

It was silent on the phone for awhile. The only thing the two of them could make out was the tempo of each other’s breathing. Aomine’s tempo changed when he inhaled deeply then slowly exhaled.

“Look, Kise, I didn’t-”

“So Saturday right? I’ll see you then? We can drink, eat, whatever you want!” Kise declared happily. At first, Aomine hesitated. Was Kise offended? Aomine knows he shouldn’t have cut off Kise like that. It’s not his fault, you were his friend also. “Whatever to make one of my good friends happy.”

Aomine’s eyes widened a bit. A smile broke free on Aomine’s face. A small one. “Yeah, sounds good, ya idiot.”

After they hung up, Aomine stared at his phone. There was no personal wallpaper set for his lock or home screen. He always thought he would have a picture of one of his favorite idols or something basketball related as his wallpapers. Even his friends would sometimes debut on his screens. But once he decided to go to those set pictures you get when you first turn on your new phone, he never really found a picture to match his mood.

Not since Momoi and Aomine had broken up. And now that you were back, the set wallpapers seemed more stupid. When Aomine was in high school, he used to make fun of people who had the set wallpapers because they liked it. He said it seemed like “only lame dads would keep that” and yet here he was with the set wallpapers over some emotional bull shit.

Aomine pocketed his phone and began to gather his things before walking out the office. One quick glance to the clock read 2:03 AM. Aomine felt his body become heavier than it ever has, even after long summer breaks of basketball conditioning. It’s all these hours at the office.

The long nights at the office keep him occupied. Ever since the two of you fought, Aomine hadn’t gotten much sleep. He tried, never could though. Aomine thought if he tired his brain out with work or play a little basketball at the courts on the roof of their building, he would be able to sleep.

It’s been three weeks since Aomine has gotten a good night of sleep.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Aomine didn’t even bother to fish it out, he was too tired to care who it was or what notification is trying to alert him. All Aomine knows is he wants to sleep.

But as his thumb brushed over the lock button to silence the vibrations, your face came into mind.

It’s not like Aomine hasn’t tried to call you. For several days after the fight, Aomine would pick up his phone and click numerous pages to get to your contact. He didn’t even have to do that when he memorized your number. It was just….

What was he going to say to you?

Every time he saw your name, number, face, anything of you, Aomine was seconds away from throwing another plate of curry to the wall. Aomine couldn’t find it in himself to say sorry to the things he said and did to you that night, nor could he find it in himself to hear an apology he didn’t know if he could accept.

Five years. So much has happened in those five years. Aomine didn’t even know where to start to tell you about when you two left everything on unfinished terms. How can he even face you now when neither of you could pick back up from where everything was left?

Unless that’s where you two were supposed to pick everything back up…

As Aomine exited the building, a light breeze brushed his cheek. The moon was full. Everything felt nice, but he still didn’t have an answer on how he was supposed to face you.

~

“They’re really taking their time, aren't they?” you pouted, looking left and right.

Kagami copied you then shrugged with a sigh. “We should've all just taken a car together.”

“Ah, maybe that's what it was,” Kagami raised an eyebrow at you. “She knew I would forget how to drive in Japan!”

Kagami couldn't deny that. There were three times he had to clench onto something in fear he would fly out the window.

“Ha, I told you I was fine to drive,” Kagami coughed a chuckle.

“No, you know I don't let anyone drive, even if they had  _ one _ beer. You never know what can happen,” you shrugged with a small huff. Kagami laughed nervously when you enunciated one differently. He’s always told you there was no point in lying to him, yet he did it just earlier. Kagami knew there was no point in lying to you either.

Just as Kagami was about to apologize, your eyes catch his with a small smile.

It was slow, but just the way you turned and looked at Kagami with those smile eyes… He had to remind himself constantly he wasn't allowed to fall in love with those eyes. Kagami quickly had a small laugh with you to cover up his thoughts. But there always something he thought about you he shouldn't be.

Like how he wished he could be the one to make you happy again.

“So, ____,” Kagami started.

You tilted your head with a small smile. “Yeah?” Kagami looked away then back so many times, you couldn't hide your confusion. “Taiga? Are you okay?”

“I just… I just wanted to know if you're… Okay. I know you're not happy with just-”

“Taiga, I am happy. Please don't think otherwise,” you asked, almost ordered.

“But with Aomine, I know-”

“Taiga, please,” you put your hand on his arm softly.

Kagami’s worry didn't falter on his face, even though this touch meant the world to him. Any intimate moment like this, he was thankful for. It was selfish of Kagami, since he was asking about Aomine, but he couldn't help but still want moments like this with you to last.

“I don't want to talk about it. It's… I just don't want to think about it,” you informed Kagami with a small smile. “I just want to spend my days happy.”

There was a glisten in your eyes. That look always made Kagami want to hold you, so you can just cry into him. This wasn't how it used to be. His arm never flinched as he hesitated to hold you. It was instinct for Kagami just to hold you. He couldn't believe his heart was feeling almost as heavy as back then just from not being able to comfort you.

“____, you know I-”

“____-chan! Kagamin!”

Immediately you dropped your hand and snapped your neck to find Momoi’s voice. In seconds, the moment ended for Kagami and a new feeling overwhelmed him. Regret.

Momoi and Kuroko walked faster as they found you two. Kuroko didn't say a word when he and Kagami exchanged a heavy look, they just greeted everyone.

“Okay, are you guys ready to go?” Momoi asked as you two linked arms. Kuroko and Kagami followed behind you two, smiling now.

In the years you were gone, Kuroko learned that he didn't have to point out or ask every time Kagami felt something towards you. When Kagami was ready to talk about it, he would come to Kuroko. There were only a few times, like the time with the picture, when Kuroko had to voice his thoughts.

“Only for about half an hour. Taiga and I were here the entire time, waiting!” you complained. “You’re lucky I had to go get him or else you would be hearing more from me! Imagine if I didn’t have to get him, I would have been waiting longer! And alone!”

“Okay, I’m sorry! My straightener wouldn’t turn on, that’s why I had to go to Kuroko’s place!” Momoi explained with a nervous chuckle.

“You had to go to Kuroko’s for  _ that? _ ” Kagami emphasized.

“My power was out! Wait, why did you have to go get Kagamin again?” Momoi changed the subject quickly. Kagami groaned at the mention of his name because he knew you would-

“He told me he had one beer when he smells of more,” you explained sassily. You held your chin up, purposely being a brat. It just made you more mad to remember Kagami insisted he would drive.

“I said I was sorry, I just didn’t want to trouble anyone for a ride,” Kagami whined.

Just then, Kuroko motioned for Kagami to lean lower. “Don’t drink so much when you’re stressed,” Kuroko whispered. Kagami’s lips became straight. Caught. “I know you would rather trouble ____-san for a ride rather than  _ that _ , right?”

“Yeah,” Kagami sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck with a pout. “I kind of slipped and asked her about-”

“What, Momoicchii? ____cchii?”

All of your heads snapped to find Kise walking in front of you. But you were the only one whose eyes widened to see Aomine next to him. He met everyone’s eyes with the same annoyed look, including you. It hurt you to know he had no reaction to see you, especially ever since your fight.

“What? Ki-chan? Dai-chan? What are you doing here?” Momoi asked surprised. Her eyes blinked twice, as if trying to rid dust in her eyes.

For a second, your ears went numb. You could barely make out the words everyone was saying. You could barely see everyone moving, only colors and shapes moving. Aomine was actually in front of you. You hadn’t mentally prepared yourself for actually seeing him any time soon. As much as the distance drove you mad, this moment drove you weak, insane. When Momoi moved forward, your body just followed.

“Don’t worry, ____-chan. I got you,” Momoi whispered.

You met her shining eyes. It was in that moment when you realized you couldn’t even hide your nerves. Your hand latched onto Momoi’s arm, your eyes wouldn’t relax, and each move you made was too stiff. All you wanted to do was run to a bathroom and hide in a stall. Even cry, just for a little bit. Would you have to say hi? What if you try to and Aomine ignores you? Would Kise notice if you just said hi to Aomine for a second then run away? How were you going to survive this night if-

“____cchii, are you okay? You look a little pale,” Kise asked worried.

“Huh?” Kise’s voice brought you out of your thoughts. Momoi swiftly slid her arm out of your grasp and walked to Aomine.

You didn’t like the ache in your chest when Aomine looked at you, almost disgusted, then to Momoi… Normally. It made you want to vomit.

“Oh, uh… I just… I’m a little sick, but I-”

“What, you are?! Are you sure you should be out?” Kise stepped closer and leaned down. Your vision on Momoi and Aomine had become completely blocked.

It just made it worse. Suddenly your thoughts were clouded with things… You didn't realize made you sick. Momoi and Aomine had never kissed in front of you. They had never hugged like lovers or smiled at each other like no one else matter. Like you didn't matter. Kagami, Kuroko, and Kise will think it's normal because they have seen all their pda. But you hadn't. And you definitely weren't ready.

But Kise shifted to his side and the thoughts disappeared. Momoi was pinching Aomine’s ear tightly with an agonized look. Aomine just grunted, annoyed.

They weren't being a couple. You were imagining things. But why?

“Ah, I’m fine. I haven't been out like this ever since I tried moving back to Japan, so this is nice,” you lied with a smile.

Aomine forced his eyes to be away from you as you laughed with Kise. His skin wasn’t on fire when he first caught you in his glance. It was hard to mistake you for someone else when he spent the last five years always thinking someone was you. But his skin was a little irritated because he was.

And maybe a little more irritated because Momoi would not stop pinching Aomine’s ear lobe. He was used to her talking it off, but he didn’t do anything to deserve getting pinched.

“Go talk to ____-chan, Dai-chan,” Momoi hissed through her teeth. She pinched Aomine’s ear lobe tighter when he clicked his tongue.

“So you did plan for this bull shit to happen, huh?” Aomine accused. He knew it.

The crease in Momoi’s forehead deepened. “No, but even if I did, how can you ignore her?”

“Easy,” Aomine answered. He swiftly stood straighter, pulling himself out of Momoi’s grip. Before she could say another word, he walked over to Kuroko and Kagami. “Like this.”

“Dai-chan! I wasn’t done talking to you!” Momoi cried out, her arms in the air.

You weren’t dumb, Momoi knew that best. But she couldn’t help but look over to see if you knew how Aomine was acting. When she saw the forced smile you gave Kise and the glistening eyes, Momoi panicked a little. Aomine had no remorse for the hurt he was doing to you. Or so it seemed to Momoi. She just hoped for the better.

“Sup, Tetsuya. Kagami,” Aomine nodded as he walked up to the two. First, Aomine looked to Kagami and then to Kuroko. His stare lingered on Kuroko. “I expected this from Kagami. Not you, Tetsuya.”

Kagami groaned a complaint while Kuroko pouted. “I’m offended you think we are planning something. I didn’t even know you would be in this area.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Oi, Kise, let’s go already,” Aomine hollered. His tongue clicked when his eyes landed on Kise.

Aomine wasn’t alone to be a bit annoyed. Everyone else didn’t bother to hide their groan when Kise had his arms wrapped around you, nudging his cheeks against your head.

“Aw, but Aominecchii, ____cchii is getting sick. I have to protect her from-”

“She’s old enough to take care of herself, let’s go,” Aomine growled clenching a fistful of the back of Kise’s jacket. You shrieked startled when Aomine suddenly tugged Kise’s jacket. He really would not let go of you. “Kise, quit being annoying and let’s go!”

“Oh, c’mon! We all haven’t hung out like this in so long! Let’s just go eat at the restaurant together! To celebrate ____cchii being back in Japan!” Kise beamed.

The fact that someone was excited to celebrate your arrival back home made Aomine huff. He was halfway over the pain you had caused him over the five years. He was over you. But the fact it was  _ Kise  _ excited to celebrate your arrival back home made Aomine’s groan linger.

“I’m going home then,” Aomine was already walking back to the parking lot he parked his car. Kise was the one with the most up to date car and most comfortable, yet he made Aomine drive. At first Aomine was immensely annoyed. Now, he was just thankful to get away from the situation.

“What?! No! Aominecchii!” Kise cried. He didn’t even let you go as he wrapped an arm firmly around Aomine’s upper body.

“Kise, let go, you’re being annoying,” now Aomine was getting really annoyed. Maybe even a little angry.

“K-Kise-kun, I can’t really breathe much,” you announced muffled behind Kise’s arm.

“Oh, sorry, ____cchii,” Kise says as he loosens his arm around you. He snaps his head back with a frown to Aomine. “But Aominecchii! Let’s all hang out! Why can’t we?!”

“This is too many people, I want to go home,”

“Oh c’mon, don’t you want to see ____cchii! She hasn’t been home in five years!”

“Kise-kun, it’s okay. Daiki should go home if-”

“Huh?” Kise immediately stopped his antics and relaxed, still holding onto you and Aomine. You two stared at Kise, puzzled. He did the same thing back. “Are you two fighting or something?”

It was silent. Kise continued to look back and forth at Aomine and you while you two looked at each other. It was hard not to flinch when Aomine looked at you softly. All you could picture was his furious eyes staring into your heart and burning your soul. He actually frowned, because he knew you were thinking back to that day. The day you two fought. No one else didn’t know what to say. Who were they to say what was going on?

As a matter of fact, who were they to tell everyone what really happened when they didn’t really say everything.

The only one out of everyone to not know what happened, what really happened, would be Kise. Kuroko was the only one that knew every horrible detail of his friend’s breakup and secrets because he was in the middle of it. He was best friends with Kagami and Aomine. Momoi brought Kuroko deeper into their situation when she ran to his apartment the day you left.

After you left… The story was Kagami cheated because he was drunk with some girl in a bar. No matter how much Momoi and Aomine tried, you left because it was too much to bare. You cut everyone off because you needed time alone. For awhile, Kagami was the bad guy. And he took it because he really was the bad guy. Everyone would get over it eventually.

It's not like they experienced the actual story the three of them lived.

Everyone had their opinion on it. On the truth. Why they didn’t tell the truth. The aftermath of everything.

Momoi hated that Kagami took the blame alone. Everyone decided without her that it was the best. No matter how many times she asked why, Kagami and Aomine said the same thing.  _ I just want to forget everything. _ She always argued with the both of them, saying that she deserves to be hated by their friends too.

It was Kuroko that made Momoi feel… Like accepting the situation wasn't bad.

_ “Momoi-san, don't you think they're doing that because they know what everyone will say?” Kuroko questioned. _

_ Momoi pondered. She thought of every answer then every fault in the answer. There wasn't one that made her understand either of their feelings. Kuroko didn't help when all he did was smile. _

_ “Everything everyone will say is something they both thought already. Just every time one of our friends will bring up… What happened… It will just be like reliving it, just worse, because now everyone else is included into it.” _

Would Momoi really want to put her loved ones in more pain they already had to endure?

“Ah, no, I just, um, Kise-kun-”

“What makes you think that?” Aomine mumbled.

“Oh well, ____cchii usually joins in on making fun of you,” Kise pointed out.

Aomine turns away as he answers quickly. “____ is just being weird because I told her I didn't really wanna go out tonight. I told you I’ve been tired from work. But she was just trynna save my ass.”

It hurts. It  _ should  _ hurt. Aomine should hurt you through all the pain you caused him. But it hurts so much that he’s trying to save you, even like a little thing like this, because  _ you don’t deserve it. _

“Oh, well too bad, Aominecchii, we’re all hanging out tonight!” Kise announced profoundly. He held the two of you closer to his body with a triumphant smile and fist. So Kise.

Eventually, the night went on. Your mind was too focused on Aomine to really start a conversation with Kise. You just went along with his words and laughed when needed. Kuroko, Kagami, and Aomine walked side by side as Momoi trailed behind Kise and you after she felt like she wasn’t wanted with the guys. It was nice. Even though Aomine and you weren’t talking, it was… Nice to know he was just there.

Maybe this was the first step to getting better together. Well, you hoped.

“So what did you want to eat, ____cchii?” Kise asked with a beaming smile.

“Huh?”

“I’m paying for everyone! Dinner’s on me tonight!” Kise boasted. There were mixed emotions from everyone.

“Ah, no it’s okay! I can pay for myself!” you rejected with a small smile.

Momoi wrapped her arms around your waist from the back. Her smile was charming, but you knew why that smile was not to be trusted. Especially now. “Oh c’mon, ____-chan, Ki-chan is going to pay! Let him be a gentleman.” She winks and you can’t help but half a pout. “It’ll be like a date, except with all of us and Ki-chan is being a big gentleman.”

“You know you’re evil right?” you teased.

Momoi had a beaming smile, it was hard not to smile along side with her. Everyone ignored the huff of Aomine’s voice when he looks away from the sight. Well, it was easy to look away, but your smile weakened at the sound. It was going to be a long night.

“I’m going to get a table,” Aomine mutters as he walks away.

Everyone pouts except you. There’s not much for you to hide when it’s Aomine. It’s hard to hide the feelings. It’s hard to  _ not  _ be okay with him. It was harder to see everyone frown to you.

“Ah, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“____-san, don’t let it get to you,” Kuroko advised. He has a small smile, but when he looks over to the table where Aomine sits, he can’t help but furrow his eyebrows in annoyance.

You sigh deeply. “I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be there soon, okay?” You turn to Kise with a small smile. “Thank you again for the dinner, I appreciate it.”

“Of course, ____cchii. This will be our first date since you and Kagamicchii broke up,” Kise winks.

As you laugh awkwardly, Kagami scowls. “Oi, Kise. Don’t start.”

“It’s a joke, it’s a joke! ...Kind of,” Kise winks with his tongue sticking out. Its adorable, you have to admit. Just mentally and especially not around your ex-fiance.

As you walked away to the bathroom with a small laugh, your mind immediately went to a million things. First, Kagami and the way he was still protective. Then of course Aomine, the fight, the now, and what happens later? Through both of those things, you couldn’t help but feel your stomach grow a pit. It made you want to throw up with how uneasy it made you. All of it made you uneasy, but all of the thoughts and the physical beings around you in that moment? You had to get away, even just for a second.

Kagami was confusing. Only because you could tell. Or you assumed the most. He was still in love with you. It was hard to ignore when you called him while you were in America to tell him you were coming home. He was the first call and you couldn’t explain why. Even Momoi felt that that was… Too familiar after five years of silence. But in that phone call, he just sounded like relief took over his own being. As if Kagami could cry just hearing your voice.

But you didn’t share the same feelings. Kagami was actually… Just a friend. It was complicated before, but for you, he was just a friend now.

He wasn’t a best friend. You already had one. Emphasis on  _ had _ .

You washed your hands and stared into the mirror. Have you always looked this tired? When you arrived to Japan, you were much more refreshed. You were home. You were with the people you wanted to be with. It took five years to find that out, but it was what you wanted ultimately. It was a year and a half figuring it out, three years to race back and forth with the idea of Japan being home again, then half of the year to actually make decisions and come back home.

“I’m going crazy,” you sighed defeated. But there was nothing much you can do besides shrug off the bad aura.

You walked out the bathroom casually, bumping into Kise and Momoi with clear cups in their hands. “Oh, we already got our food?”

“____cchii! No, just the cups. I think Kurokocchii and Kagamicchii are at the table with Aominecchii. We’ll be there soon!” Kise winked. You scoffed a laugh as Momoi rolled her eyes.

Except Kuroko and Kagami weren’t at the table with Aomine, it was just Aomine. Your content walk with a smile slowed into a heart pounding, wide eyed steps. He was unamused with your presence, it was just him and his phone out with his fist perching up his face. Such an angry man. It was irritating. But you mentally shrugged it off because, again, there was nothing much you could do.

You took a seat across the booth from him, purposely leaving the inside of the booth’s seats empty. It didn’t take much for you, or anyone as a matter of fact, to know Aomine didn’t want to bother with you. The two of you were together by pure chance and were forced to be together because of your friends. Neither one of you could fight, no matter how much  _ he  _ wanted to.

It was nice to be able to just see him.

Aomine was older. If the teenager version of him sat next to the version of himself now, it would be hard to believe Aomine could mature like that. He didn’t slouch back against the chair like someone who didn’t care. At least now he sat a little straighter with some care for what’s going on around him. If there was a robbery going on, Aomine would be the first one to yell out of annoyance, and maybe some threats. Now, it actually look like he would take the time to become calm and think of a situation to get out. He might just look a little annoyed. There wasn’t a lot that changed about Aomine physically. But… There was just a lot about  _ him  _ that changed.

And you missed out on it the past five years.

The thought made you flinch your nose. For some reason, Aomine shifted and just as his eyes were about to look up from his phone, you averted your eyes to the restaurant. “Huh, wonder where Kise and Momoi are.”

Aomine just muffled a sound.

“Okay,” you trailed off with a frown. “I’m going to go look for them.”

You got up without another noise from Aomine. Only the gods above Japan could know how much you could handle Aomine not really caring for you. You didn’t have enough heart to admit it to yourself how much Aomine didn’t care for you anymore.

It was strange. With the time it took for Kagami to break your heart surprisingly doesn’t amount to how fast or immense it took Aomine.

Suddenly, you realized you were back at the table where Aomine and you sat. No one, neither Kise, Momoi, Kagami, and Kuroko were to be found in the restaurant. Aomine stared at you blankly, waiting for you to do something. As if you were a bug in a cage with a bird. Were you going to run or fight?

Obviously, run.

Momoi was not in the bathroom like you had assumed and Kise, Kagami, nor Kuroko stood anywhere in or around the restaurant. It was ridiculous you actually checked outside the building for your friends when there weren’t any tables outside for them to be at. But you did anything you could think of to not assume your friends would ditch you to be with someone who does not want to spend another second with you.

As you sat back at the table, you really begged any god in Japan’s sky that your friends really didn’t ditch you with your former best friend who absolutely despised you without a care. Especially because he was starting to look annoyed. His eyebrows furrowed and his leg was beginning to bounce repeatedly.

Maybe Aomine hadn’t grown to be that much difference from how you knew him.

~

“Daiki, do you want to go?” you broke the silence between the two of you after fifteen minutes together.

Aomine turned to you with an eyebrow raised.  _ Still not going to say a word to me, huh? _ You sighed. “We don’t have to talk but… That bar you like is just down the street. We don’t have to talk still. We can just… Kind of hang out, next to each other. Drinking?” Because you definitely need one. “If you want, Daiki.”

It was hard to disguise your disappointment when Aomine just stood up with a shrug. He began walking to the door without a word. Well, there was no other way to expect that situation to happen a different way. Aomine was still mad and-

Aomine abruptly stopped in his steps and turned back to you. He sighed annoyed when all you did was stare back. It was when he nodded to the door was when you couldn’t hold back a smile. It felt like the happiest you had truly been since the whole fight started.

The walk to the bar was quiet. It wasn’t too late, just a little after 9. The area was surprisingly quiet. Only a few other people were, about a handful. A couple walking on the other side of the street going the opposite way Aomine and you were going. There was a man working out on the field of the library. There had to be some time made to work out, you supposed. The last two individuals were a female dressed in a chic style dress with a trench coat over and a man walking in front of Aomine and you with his phone in hand. He had bumped into a pole since his attention was on the phone. The woman was on the opposite end of the street but was heading in the same direction as all three of you.

It wasn’t a lot of people, so maybe that’s why it felt like it was only Aomine and you around. You walked a fair distance next to each other. There wouldn’t be any accidental bumps into each other or hands brushing against each other. It was just a fair distance. But it felt nice to be with just Aomine. All the time you spent away from him… You appreciated the silence between the two now.

At least you were together.

Aomine could have said no. He could have walked away and not looked back. There was no signed contract that said Aomine had to include you or agree to your plans. But he did… That was all you needed to know that maybe this wouldn’t be so bad anymore.

The bar had plenty of customers, but they were parties of more than 4 in the booths. There were enough seats at the bar for the two of you. Also perfect for two people who just wanted to drink and sit quietly next to each other.

Aomine sat on the high chair and just as he was about to call over the bartender, you stood by your chair and called to the bartender once his eyes were on you, “Three shots of your smoothest whiskey.” You noticed Aomine stare at you curious and confused. “What?”

“You forget how to count since you left Japan?” His voice was low and a bit of a tease. He was being his usual self, a little mean, but you knew him better than that. It made you smile and laugh a little. Aomine raised an eyebrow.

“Two are for me,” you answered swiftly. Just in time, the bartender brought three shots of dark liquid. You held one up in the air as Aomine followed. Your glasses clinked together and met your lips. Down went the liquid, burning only a little. But it was enjoyable. You sighed as you swallowed the drink, immediately downing the next shot.

“You should sit in your seat before you fall onto the floor,” Aomine scoffed just as you took a seat. You couldn’t help but pout.

As Aomine called over the bartender for a drink, you couldn’t help but think this was all too familiar. You felt greedy to feel okay with just this, the way you two were acting. Of course, you wanted your best friend just as the days back then, but after everything… After five years of his absence and the fight, this was just as nice to have. You loved this, because you love Aomine. As long as he’s here, as long as you know he will be, you were content. Things will get better, even if you have to hurt. It’s what you deserve.

“And for you, miss?” the bartender asked focused.

“Oh, just scotch, neat please,” you answered hesitantly. Even though you were content, you were still nervous. Just because you enjoyed this right now didn’t change the situation. Aomine was still mad at you. It still made your arms tremble with all the nerves running throughout your body. Just as your drink slide across the bar table to you, you brought the drink to your mouth, feeling the nerves settle.

Just a little.

As promised, neither of you spoke to one another. You didn’t want to push for a conversation even though you thought otherwise. This was the first time Aomine and you had ever been in a situation where one of you were so mad at the other, that they didn’t even want to speak to them. It was so foreign to you. While Aomine sat there people watching and occasionally glancing to the bartender for more drinks.

Before you knew it, the silence extended into one more shot and two beers for Aomine. As for you, the silence was getting to your nerves. The only thing that could calm you was another glass of scotch and three shots of the smoothest whiskey the two of you had earlier. It was a little close to impossible to hide that you were drunk. You could even feel yourself swaying. How long has time past? You tried focusing on the clock but the best you could assume was only an hour had gone by since you two walked into the bar.

Suddenly, Aomine opened a water bottle and placed it in front of you. You continued to sway but stared at the water a bit dazed. You knew you were drunk when you asked yourself if the water bottle really had water in it. It brought you back to the time Momoi put tequila in a water and said to drink it to get sober when you were already too drunk to know the taste of anything you were drinking. You shuttered to the memory.

“You forget how to drink water too?” Aomine huffed the question.

Aomine watches you stare at him, still in a daze. Or lost? Just drunk. You were just drunk. He expects you to get mad in a little while. You were the type of drunk to get mad when someone points out just how drunk you are.

Aomine is thrown off when he sees you smile with your pink blushing cheeks. As if the world is okay, as if you two were just like years ago. Happy. “I guess so.”

Its hard for Aomine to hide his surprise. What he wasn’t expecting was to laugh just a little. He hid his smile quickly putting his lips on his beer. But even as he finished his drink, it was already too late for him to hide it.

“Ah! You smiled! Daiki, you laughed!” you perked up. Aomine mugged your finger that pointed at him annoyed and snapped his attention to the bartender. Before Aomine could ask for another one, you waved to the bartender with a big smile.

_ You’re too happy, _____. _ Aomine thought. But… It didn’t annoy him.

“Bartender, can I get two more shots please?” you smiled at Aomine. “This time one’s for you.”

“Hey, what?” Aomine turned to you with his full attention, fully against the idea. But the bartender already poured the drinks and placed them in front of both of you. “Ay, no. You’re already drunk and-” Just as Aomine was about to get both shot glasses from out of your reach, he missed a few inches of the glasses.

You snickered a laugh, and tried to hide it with the back of your hand. But when Aomine growled at you, another laugh came out. “You’re a little drunk too, Daiki.” You sang his name, it was meant to be a tease. But you didn’t mean to tilt your head a little too far. You almost fell out of your chair. If you didn’t quickly step your foot down, you would be face down on the floor instead. “Woah.”

“See,” Aomine growled. He grabbed your arm and held you as you tried to sit back on the chair. When your eyes met, he quickly realized he was touching you. He pulled his arm back and glared at you. “We are not drinking these. Chill out and-”

“You mean, you’re not then,” you poutedd. You swiftly snatched one of the shots and swallowed the shot of burning liquid.

“Hey, will you listen to me, you drunk ass,” Aomine growled louder. Now you were becoming the usual drunk he remembered.

“If you’re not going to celebrate you finally talking to me, then I’ll celebrate myself,” you responded with a shrug. Aomine definitely didn’t miss your sass, but it was nice to have around. Better than dealing with Kise and Momoi’s sassiness. At least with your sassiness, Aomine…

He shook his head of the though. He wasn’t in love with you anymore. Aomine Daiki was not in love with you anymore. He didn’t have a reason to excuse your crap. Even though your crap would be better to deal with rather than anyone else’s.

“Daiki?” Aomine snapped his attention back to reality. Your shot glasses were empty and this was the most red he’s ever seen you. This has been the fastest you’ve taken that many shots. “Oh right-” Aomine raised an eyebrow. “You’re not talking to me.”

“I-”

“Hey, bartender, can I have-”

“Do not get another shot,” Aomine growled as he grabbed onto your wrist. Aomine was thankful the bartender didn’t see your hand.

Those damn eyes of yours. Half-lidded and staring at Aomine, as if he was the only thing you could see. Aomine blamed his dry spell to think you were so gorgeous. They definitely weren’t some buried feelings he decided to throw away.

“Huh?” you mumbled with the tilt of you head.

Aomine flinched back into reality and not those damn cursed thoughts. He shook his head and let go of you, not thinking about the way your skin was still soft and warm. It made him just think back to your smile from back then. Before everything happened.

“Look, no more shots. I’m going to the bathroom,” And Aomine was gone without another look back or word from your mouth.

The walk to the bathroom was something of long strides, Aomine eager to get to somewhere with just… Him and not you. Aomine was definitely drunk. And he was definitely not in love with you anymore.

The plan was somewhat working… As Aomine looked at himself in the mirror, he sighed heavily. This wasn’t going according to plan. Aomine wasn’t usually this petty. And yet he was being this petty. There usually isn’t a plan and yet he has this plan to just ignore you until… Until he feels like it.

Kise had to have come up with this stupid plan to “bump into each other coincidentally” with either Kagami or Momoi. Either way, Aomine knew he was going to kill either one of them. He didn’t want to be this drunk at his favorite bar with you, of all people. He would take anyone over you, in all honesty. Even Haizaki.

Aomine just couldn’t handle you being in Japan still.

~

Your phone vibrated loudly in your pocket. The sound was barely there but since you were skinny jeans, it helped to feel your phone. Your ears were too warm to hear more than the bar’s excitement, but your eyes were drunk enough to make out the blurry letters on your phone. You pressed the green button, basically smashing your thumb against it.

“Momoi,” you grunted. Everyone turned to you startled when your fist slammed against the bar’s table.

“____-chan, you’re too drunk,” Momoi pointed out.

“And you left me with the beast. I should be more drunk than that one time we got drunk in your dorm,” you hiccuped and hissed. Mostly hiccuped. Man were you really drunk. But you had a point, you needed to be.

The night was going better than you thought. It was making you happy. Aomine was making you happy. Or maybe it was just the alcohol. There was a high chance it was the alcohol because your body swayed more than a few seconds ago, when Aomine was here to catch you again, if the chance came up.

Trust. You trusted Aomine with your life. After everything that happened… Could Aomine still trust you with his life?

“Satsuki…” You traced your scalp, bringing your hair through your fingers. Your voice trembled. It helped to have your elbow on the bar top, but you swayed. Your body, mind, and… Everything just didn’t feel stable. “I feel like I’m waiting for a break up or something.”

“Hey,” you met eyes with the bartender who handed you another water bottle. “On the house. You’re looking like those girls in the movies that want to get shit faced over some dude who's not worth it.”

_ Well, he wasn’t really off. _

The bartender raised an eyebrow when you opened up your wallet. “I just said-”

“I will give you a ¥500 tip if you give me two more shots,” you slurred with your phone held between your head and shoulder.

“So you are trying to get over some douche?” the bartender shook his head with a sigh. “Look, give me the phone.”

For some reason, you actually listened to this stranger. You handed him the phone and watched him talk to Satsuki.

“You hear that? No… Almost… Okay,” the bartender has this conversation while pouring two shots for you. You couldn’t hold back the beam in your eyes. As he slid over the shots to you, he handed back a phone without Satsuki on the other end. “Your friend said you should drink these with water right after.”

Of course, you didn’t listen. You practically inhaled both shots without even trying to grab your water. But alcohol wasn’t supposed to start tasting like water. It wasn’t supposed to start tasting like nothing. You buried your face into your hands, muffled sounds leaving your mouth.

“Hey, you should-”

“I’m not trying to get over some douche, by the way,” you said into your hands.

“What?”

You slid your hands to cup your cheeks to meet the bartender’s eyes. “I’m not getting over some douche. I’m trying to fix things with my best friend.”

The bartender shifted his eyes to the right then back to you. “That guy you were just with?” You nodded your head. “Well, you guys will be fine.”

And he went back to serving his other customers. He was nice. When you looked back to what the bartender peeked at earlier, you realized the bathroom was over in that direction. Aomine had been gone for quite some time.

“I should check on him,” you muttered to yourself. You jumped down to the ground, only to lose some of your footing. “Oh shit,” you spat, grasping onto Aomine’s chair. Even with all your hold, you could still feel your body sway more and more to the floor.

But your body stopped against something. “You idiot,” you found it was Aomine, sighing.

“Nice timing,” the bartender commented.

Aomine chuckled. He wrapped an arm around you as you leaned against him, drunk in all ways possible. Somewhere deep in his pockets, Aomine fished out his wallet, looking for cash.

“Don’t worry about it,” the bartender interrupted Aomine’s actions.

“What?” Aomine stopped his movements, his eyebrow raised. “For real? She drank a lot man.”

“She’ll let you know tomorrow,” the bartender finished and walked away.

Aomine watched him then turned to you as you wrapped your arms around his waist and wiggled your fingers against his back. He rolled his eyes and picked you up to help you stand steadier. Your habits were weird and you were obsessed with his back. Always wiggling your fingers against it.

“Daiki,” you mumble into his chest.

“____, c’mon. It’s time to fucking go, I’m drunk too. Let’s-” You held on tighter as you looked up to Aomine with your chin against his chest.

Aomine’s heart beats louder, he was pretty sure you could feel it. You smiled up at him. “Daiki, you’re still here.”

“Obviously,” Aomine manages to get out. It’s quiet. But it’s all he could really say. And think. Why was he so stuck on your smile?

“I’m… Daiki makes me happy,” you answered, burying your face in his chest.

It hits Aomine. He could feel you smiling against your chest. Those five years that have gone by in the blink of an eye now… Your smile didn’t exist. Not really. All in his memories, all Aomine could see were tears, frustration, and your back. Aomine couldn’t recall the last time you were happy. Even with him.

In some ways, Aomine blamed himself still for that. He couldn’t make you happy in the toughest time of your life. It dwelled on him for those five years, even if he had Momoi with him. He thought it was impossible to make you happy now.

Aomine didn’t realize what a relief it was to know he was wrong. So wrong.

“C’mon, ____,” Aomine sighs. Somehow in the unhelpful mess you were, Aomine managed to get you onto his back with your stuff on his shoulders. One last time, Aomine looks to the bartender and both nod to each other. “Time to go home.”

As Aomine walks out the bar, he fishes out his phone and sends a text to the others in one chat.

~

_ We’re going home, you idiots. _

Everyone sits at the bar, looking away from their phones after Aomine texts them all.

“You know, I can’t help but feel weird following Aominecchii and ____cchii tonight. Did we really need to plot this whole plan?” Kise asked with a pout. Everyone else beside him drank their drinks satisfied or content with the events.

“Yeah, we did. We just needed to make sure either of them wouldn’t go home so they could patch things up. So they’ll be fine now. Good job, Momoi,” Kagami chuckled, his cup in the air. Kise and Kuroko followed his actions.

“Thanks guys,” Momoi beamed. She turned her attention to the bartender with the promised tip you said earlier. “And thank you for going along with it. The alcohol helped.”

He shrugged. “It’s my job to get people drunk.”

Everyone took a few sips of their drinks, proud of their efforts. This didn’t take as long as when events first came to reality five years ago. But it was a long three weeks. Now everyone could be together happily.

“They’ll most likely talk on the ride home, or something,” Kuroko assumed. Everyone takes another take at their drink, still proud of their efforts. Except Kise. He was busy pondering then turned to everyone.

“You guys are sure he won’t yell at her? I don’t want Aominecchii yelling at ____cchii too much on the drive to her place,” Kise continues on, more worry on his face.

Everyone pauses with their drinks against their mouths and eyes wide open. As if they remembered the oven was still on at home.

“See! You guys see my point? Aominecchii is going to-”

Kise yelps when Momoi almost smashes her glass against the bar table. Both Kuroko and Kagami turned to her with frantic eyes as well.

“What? What?!” Kise almost screeches. Slowly, the three of them turn to Kise, despair shadowing their eyes. It made Kise almost fear for your safety. Kise tries to think of all the possibilities that could happen now that Aomine and you were together. Aomine could throw you off a cliff, he could take you to some random alley way, or even worse, you might have left your keys here to your new-

_ Oh. _

“Does Aominecchii even know where ____cchii’s new house is?!”


End file.
